


My Life is Now the Anime

by HatakeKashi



Category: Haikyuu!!, 斉木楠雄のΨ難 | Saiki Kusuo no Sai-nan | The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.
Genre: F/M, I add tags as i go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:48:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 102,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26571697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HatakeKashi/pseuds/HatakeKashi
Summary: (Reader Insert x Various)You have been given a gift that allows you to enter any anime you want! The catch? You can't leave until you've made an impact on the story! Big bummer, right? With real-time only progressing one second per anime day, you could theoretically spend years in your favorite shows and among your favorite characters and you wouldn't even age a day. Real life is so boring... what is there to lose?!
Relationships: Kozume Kenma/Reader, Saiki Kusuo/Reader
Comments: 30
Kudos: 231





	1. How it all Began

We get it. You love anime and manga. That’s why you’re here: browsing the manga section at your local Barnes and Noble. The famous retail store has just launched and was celebrating a brand new “manga month,” meaning the store was dedicating about double the usual shelves to the Japanese art style of storytelling. You reached out to one of your favorites, (title) by (author/artist), your fingers grazing the spine as you recalled a conversation that happened two nights prior.

\-----

You were stargazing out in the middle of an empty parking lot with nothing but a broken streetlamp and a stray dog as your company. A familiar ache filled your chest as you stared out into the open expanse of clear sky, the stray animal your only source of warmth and comfort. You hated feeling this way. Lonely. Pitifully sad. Even though life wasn’t terrible, it wasn’t something to write home over, either. Usually surrounded by people, you still felt inside like something was missing. Like you were better off out here, without a soul in sight, than in a room full of people that made you feel invisible.

Engrossed in your thoughts you failed to notice the approach of another figure. Her raspy voice startled you, nearly jumping out of your skin. “Surely life can’t be all that bad, missy?”

It took you a few moments before gaining your voice back, your heart still pounding in your ears. “What do you mean?”

“Oh, simply that nobody understands you. That you feel more at home in empty space than amongst others.” She waited a moment. When she received no answer she asked “Am I wrong?”

Leary of this stranger, you clutched onto the dog hoping that, if she would try to kill you, maybe the leftover hamburger you gave it would be enough to convince it to protect you. “You’re not wrong but… who are you?”

“Just someone with many memories from many adventures.”

You scoffed. The lady seemed nice enough, her eyes directed up at the same galaxy you had been observing. But you could not properly see her face aside from a slim smile forming on her lips. “The only adventures I’ve ever had were of the literary nature.”

“Stories are just glimpsing into alternate realities, after all. So while you believe you haven’t been on any adventures, really the characters couldn’t have done it without you behind the cover, helping them turn the pages.”

You shook your head, not understanding a word she was saying. “I don’t think that’s how it works, but thanks.”

“It’s true!” The lady met eyes with you for the first time. “What if I told you that I’ve been on a million different adventures, each of them real and each of them literary at the same time.”

You held her gaze, raising an eyebrow. “Sure…” Your voice dragged out the word, sarcasm flooding within the syllable.

“Riddle me this, missy. Is not the definition of adventure the exploration of something new and unknown, the best of which resulting in fundamental changes to your very being?”

“Well, I suppose. In books, the adventure the protagonist goes on is meant to put them face to face with a weakness so that they are forced to face that fear and improve from it.”

The lady smiled widely. “Then how do books not accomplish the same thing in the reader as it has to its characters?”

“The problems happening in the stories aren’t actually happening to me. I can put down what I’m reading and forget what was going on.” Your mind drifted to a romance novel you read the other day, your heart sinking. “Life doesn’t work the same way as it does in the books.”

The old lady extended a hand. You hesitated but took it anyway, a fierce shock running through your palm and up your arm as your hands touched. You reeled back. “Ow! What was that for?!”

“The next time you pick up a book… you won’t be able to leave until you’ve made a difference in their story.”

You watched as the old lady walked away. She whistled with her fingers and the dog followed, tail wagging happily behind it. “Traitor…”

\-----

You had been unable to put the thought out of your mind ever since that encounter with the lady. She seemed kinda witchy… you scoffed as you imagined you were probably lucky to walk away from her alive. Yet as your eyes glanced at the mangas, you couldn’t help but ponder the thought. What if you were really the main character, just helping the others along by turning the page and cheering them on from another universe?

Shaking your head, you laughed under your breath at yourself. “That’s absolute nonsense. I’m not interesting enough to be a main character.” Your mind went to dark places as you added. “My favorite characters probably wouldn’t even like me.”

You grabbed a classic, “Naruto: Shippuden”. Whether you actually like Naruto or not was besides the point, for when you opened the book your surroundings suddenly changed and you found yourself smack dab in the middle of Konoha… the leaf village. Everyone who has even heard the word “anime” probably knows what it looks like. Giant carved faces on a mountain looming over the town. A big red building kinda sorta in the center. And people walking around everywhere with headbands on.

Your heart skipped a beat as you tried to rationalize what was happening. Do you usually have vivid daydream episodes? Were you dissociating? Has you passed out and were actually dreaming? While your feet were glued to their spot in the dirt road someone crashed into your shoulder, shoving you out of the way and nearly tipped you over. A young man in an iconic orange and black sweater vest with spiky yellow hair outlined by a black headband with a leaf symbol turned back as he ran, waving at you. “Sorry! I don’t know who you are but I’ll find you and apologize properly sometime, ya’ know!”

Your mouth hung open as you watched the main character, Naruto himself, continue to sprint away. You heard thundering footsteps behind you and saw a pink haired lady with an incredibly scary face chasing after him. “I’M GOING TO KILL YOU NARUTO!”

You jumped off to the side before you could get trampled. “There’s no way this is real, right?” You chuckled, trying to brush the whole experience off as some kind of lucid dream. Turning around you saw you were at the front of the famous Ichiraku ramen place. “Well, as long as I’m here…”

You sat down and had a lovely meal at the expense of the shop owner, who recognized you were new. The entire experience seemed too vivid to be just a dream. Even for a lucid dream, it was too real. You couldn’t even remember falling asleep. Weren’t you just in the bookstore?!

Just as you were getting ready to try and wake yourself up, Naruto came bursting through the drapes with his sides heaving. “I think I finally lost her…” He saw you and his eyes perked up. “Oy! You’re the one I ran into earlier! I’m sorry about that, Sakura-chan is scary…”

You nodded, unsure of how to react to an astral projection of an anime/manga character. “You know,” Naruto started. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you around. Are you still hungry? I’ll treat you to ramen!”

Taking a deep breath, you agreed to another portion of ramen. It was incredibly delicious, and there was no point in waking up earlier than you needed to.

You chatted with Naruto a good hour or two before a long-haired woman came in behind them, her face stained with tears. Naruto turned and his eyes went wide. “Hinata!”

“You… you forgot about our date.” She cast a quick glance at you before looking down at the ground. “And then, then I find you with, with another girl…” Hinata runs off, Naruto apologizing and running off after her. Your eyebrows furrowed with confusion as you blinked and found yourself holding the manga in your hands. Heart racing from the change of scenery yet again, you were now standing in Barnes and Noble. You quick glanced at your phone. Not even a minute has passed…it’s like time stood still.

The lady’s words echoed in your mind. “The next time you pick up a book… you won’t be able to leave until you’ve made a difference in their story.”

Glancing down at the volume of Naruto:Shippuden you picked up, you realized this was supposed to be a time when Hinata and Naruto sealed their relationship. You had caused a rift in their relationship, potentially changing the entire storyline! Could it be… I was actually in the manga?

The story didn’t look like it changed at all, but you felt yourself getting philosophical. “Maybe the books don’t change, because they are accounting the events of just one dimension of the universe. Some scientists believe there are multiple universes and alternate dimensions for each, repeating infinitely with minor changes in each, kind of like a repeating mirror.” You felt butterflies in the pit of your stomach as your heart palpitated from anxiety and excitement.

“So that means…” You glanced around you at all the manga. “There really is an alternate dimension to these universes… in which I exist?”

It sounded ridiculous. Absolutely impossible, really. Yet you could not deny the flavor of that ramen and the pain in your shoulder from being rammed into by Naruto. It wasn’t just a dream. It couldn’t have been.

You get to live out a life within any anime or manga you choose… and you can’t leave until you’ve made an impact on the universe. Will you finally find your purpose in this life by fixing other’s stories? Helping your favorite characters get what they deserve? Or by giving them love and being loved in a way you have come to believe is impossible in this all too-real dimension we live in?

There’s only one way to find out!

Your hand reached out for a volume of (Chosen Anime/Manga). You didn’t even pause to take a breath, or even consider what might happen to you emotionally if you got stuck in an anime world for longer than your half hour visit to Naruto in that prologue that you definitely should have just read before making up your mind to jump into your favorite series. As your surroundings changed, so did you. Your appearance changed to your own original character design and useful memories and connections filled your mind. Your body flooded with the feeling of power, whether your chosen manga had actually given you any or not. In your mind, you were leaving your life behind. You would be more than happy just to live in an interesting world. Anywhere but here. Even if for a moment, it was worth anything to you.

So off you went.

\-----

Terms and Conditions: Once entering a story you cannot leave until you have made an impact that would change the outcome of the story on a grand level. This is harder than you would imagine it to be: fate doesn’t like to be toyed with. Your removal from the story, upon completion of your task, is unfortunately mandatory. Yet upon entering each story this fact is instantly forgotten until you return. You will be given clothes, memories, and powers suitable for the story you are entering. Imagine a background character, hiding in the shadows the entire time, just waiting to emerge and change the plot. This is you. Will you choose to battle fate and make a name for yourself in another dimension? Will you decide to leave your old life behind and stay a minor character, happy to watch on the sidelines and interact with characters you had always dreamed of meeting? Or are you satisfied just being an everyday reader?

I mean, *laughs*

As if you have a choice.

\-----

Hey! Author here! Thank you so much for sharing an interest in this story idea I came up with. In case you are wondering, this is basically just a fun entrance into a bunch of reader-insert short stories (too long to be one-shots) with various characters from various anime and manga! This prologue serves as the beginning for each character's story. **There are two ways to read this collection.** **Route One:** you pick a character, read their story, and consider it complete, accepting your happy ending and moving on. From there, you can go back to the beginning and read another story if you wish, each one being separate but with the same premise. Or, **Route Two:** Deny your happy endings, jumping from series to series, breaking your heart over and over again, holding on for one big grand finale with the chance of gathering the largest anime harem you have ever seen. Which one will you choose?

Well, what are you waiting for? Go pick one and have an adventure!


	2. Saiki Kusuo - Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You chose to hop into The Disasterous Life of Saiki K. Happy to just be surrounded by your favorite characters, you soon realize its harder to keep your distance than you thought.

You found yourself sitting at a desk. You glanced around, not recognizing the window that looked out onto the surrounding woods, nor the (f/c) bedsheets or the posters stuck up on every wall. “Where…?”

One of the more questionable characters, Toritsuki Reita, came barreling into the room. You nearly leapt from the chair you were sitting in from shock. “(Y/N)!” His eyes were wide and a huge grin was plastered onto his face. Before your heart could finish a full beat, the purple haired medium was rambling. “You’ll never guess what Takeuchi told me!” Your face heated as you tried to take in the reality you were now faced with, your ears unintentionally blocking out what the young man was saying. I’m actually a part of The Disastrous Life of Saiki K!! “…so I’m headed over to his house, he should be reading my letter in approximately one hour. That’s just enough time to get there and make my way inside to confront him about his powers! Wanna come with?”

You blinked at Toritsuki, surely with a jaw-dropped astonished look on your face. His expression and shoulders dropped as he sighed, a puff of air escaping his lips just like you had seen other anime characters do. “Did you have another episode?”

You sharply inhaled. Your thoughts were moving a million miles an hour and you didn’t know how to respond. “A what?”

Toritsuki walked over to you, placing a palm on your forehead. “Amnesia. It’s happened a few times since you were little.” He huffed. “Or are you just being weird like usual?”

A memory of a childhood photo arose in your mind. The two of you, maybe age five or six, were standing together in front of a temple, monks surrounding you with huge smiles on their faces. A birthday cupcake was in each of your hands.

“Oniisan!” That’s right. This pervert is your brother now. “Toritsu… er, Reita-kun. Sorry, you took me by surprise.” A surprise is an understatement…

A smile reappeared on his face. “So so so? Are you going to go with me to confront Saiki-sama?”

Oh! Episode 4, season 1. This is when Reita goes over to confront Saiki about his powers and discloses the surprising fact that Saiki isn’t the only psychic!

At the thought of Saiki your face heated up, a visible redness creeping on your cheeks and nose. He was your favorite character, aside from (another fav character), and to claim your feelings for him as a simple crush would be both a lie and an incorrect use of the noun. Nobody likes people who use words incorrectly.

Reita shoved his face within inches of yours. “Oooooh are you nervous about meeting someone as amazing as me?”

You shoved your purple-haired brother off to the side as you stood and waved your hands in the air. “I’ll come with! But only because this ‘sama’ of yours…” You emphasized the ‘sama’ part. You saw Reita flinch from embarrassment out of the corner of your eye. “Probably won’t appreciate the intrusion and I’d like to apologize on your behalf, so we don’t get off to a bad start at school.”

Reita’s eyes sparkled as he grabbed your wrist, dragging you out of the temple. The temple was so nicely decorated and painted you didn’t realize that’s where you were. You must have quite the power over Reiki to have already influenced the state of his living arrangements just by existing.

You openly gawked at your surroundings. You were in Hidari Wakibara for real!!! The houses, the architecture, the atmosphere, the air, the people!! Reita looked at you with a side eye. “You sure you’re ok, sis?”

“Yeah yeah!” You grinned at Reita. “I couldn’t be better, honestly!”

“Oh, I get it!” His eyes went huge and watery as he wrapped you in a big hug. “You’re just excited that I finally found someone with powers like me, right?!”

You tried to shrug your shoulders but Reita was holding you too tightly. “Well, yeah! Of course!”

“Honestly, even though seeing ghosts is a pain, I always wished you could see them like me.” He chimed.

So I am powerless after all? You thought. Good to know.

Your old life seemed to fade away with every step, as did the old lady’s message from the prologue. Your heart and your mind opened to the opportunities held within a universe where your favorite characters weren’t only real, but you were going to meet them.

You took a deep breath. Calm down. You would have plenty of time to get used to this life. You didn’t want to be a main character. You didn’t want to stand out or make a difference. You just wanted to be with these characters… no… these people… that you felt connected to.

When you and Reita got within viewing distance of the Saiki mini mansion in the upper-class part of town, you both hid behind a pole rather conspicuously just as Kusuo Saiki was entering his home. Reita’s letter was in his hand, and he was too focused on it to notice you.

Reita whispered to you. “We will wait exactly eight minutes. That’s how long it takes for him to get past his parents, grab a coffee jelly and escape into his bedroom.” You scrunched your eyebrows at him. He wasn’t just a pervert; he was a world-class stalker too. “Then we will break in and open his door just as he finishes reading my note!”

“You mean fan letter?” You muttered under your breath with a chuckle. Reita pouted, setting a timer on his phone.

Even though Reita clearly got in undetected from Saiki’s parents and made it to his bedroom door just in time to dramatically barge in just as Saiki was finishing the letter in the anime, it was even more hilarious to experience it in person. His definition of “breaking in” meant “ring the doorbell” and claim to be Saiki’s friend, which brought us directly to his room via the crying thanks of his mother.

“Hey, this is actually a pretty normal house!!” Reita moved about Saiki’s room like he owned the place, looking at books on the shelves and hopping on the bed to test its firmness. You stood in the doorway with a controlled grin, your legs trembling slightly as you tried not to stare at the pink-haired psychic who was sitting cross-legged on a stool directly in front of you.

His green-shaded eyes briefly met yours before Reita finally approached Saiki. “Sorry. Let me introduce myself! Nice to meet you, Master! I am Reita Toritsuka. The gorgeous lady behind me is (f/n) Toritsuka. I’m 16 years old… and well she is too. We’re twins. I’m the oldest, though! Well, you can use telepathy to learn that.”

You felt your heart race. You had almost forgotten about Saiki’s ability to mind read. Now you needed to be conscious of every thought so he wouldn’t be suspicious. Although that thought was probably suspicious. Maybe he didn’t hear that. You decided to empty your mind and focus on your brother.

“I’ve heard all sorts of rumors about you. Well, I did hear them from ghosts.”

Saiki’s expression never changed as he thought to himself. Your mind wandered again. I wonder what he’s thinking. I mean, I know what he’s thinking, but still… I wish I could hear it.

“Can you see ghosts?” Reita questioned. It was then you heard Saiki’s voice in person for the first time. Well, thought of Saiki’s voice in person. Whatever. He spoke to you both telepathically. His voice was like butter and you felt your racing heart skip a beat.

_“No, I don’t.”_

Reita sighed, throwing his arms in the air and placing his hands behind his head. “Ah, that must be nice! I can see fifteen ghosts right now. They came to see your psychic powers. There’s an old lady in the corner of your ceiling, and someone is mooning you right next to…” He blushed and stopped mid-sentence, throwing himself onto the floor. “Forget about that, Master! Please accept me as your apprentice!”

Saiki’s eyes went wide. _“What about the mooning?”_

You shot a hand up to your mouth to stop from laughing. The image of the bouncing mooner from the anime shot into your head and your sides quivered. Saiki’s eyes met yours and your face flushed.

 _“Can she see them too?”_ Saiki questioned the pervert.

Reita dramatically sighed. “No. Only I was cursed with this blessing of seeing ghosts.” You just contradicted yourself there, bud. Is it a curse or a blessing? “But don’t worry! He… he’s gone now!”

Between Reita mentioning the mooner had moved to rub his butt against Saiki’s face in his thoughts and the mental image of the action you were producing in your head, Saiki felt his normal straight face twitch slightly into a frown.

_“Don’t underestimate me.”_

Reita’s shoulders slouched. “To be honest, I can’t do anything. I can only see them and interact with them. That’s all.” Reita began to explain his entire backstory. You know, being born in a temple. Always having those abilities. His unfortunate experience realizing his grandparents had been ghosts his entire childhood. Yada yada. Or, shall I say, yare yare.

“(Y/n) was one of the few people at the time who wasn’t a ghost. I used to hold her so often that I started touching people to make sure they were alive! People got angry and called me a pervert. But I was only doing it to make sure they weren’t ghosts.”

 _“The look on your face says otherwise.”_ Saiki mumbled before directing his attention to you. _“I feel sorry for you.”_

Reita glared off into the distance. “I always wondered if these powers could be useful…”

Saiki blinked. _“They could. A lot of lives have been saved by speaking with the dead…”_

“How can I get rich using this power?”

You sighed with an unimpressed scowl. Saiki paused, crossing his arms. The room filled with silence. _“Right.”_

Then Reita went off about how a ghost friend of his had mentioned how he saw a man with telepathy, x-ray vision, teleportation ability, clairvoyance, and psychokinesis. But Saiki saw through his thoughts, and your glare towards your brother confirmed his suspicions.

He really is just a pervert.

“Please make me your apprentice and teach me your skills! Please!!” Reita begged on his hands and knees.

_“Even if you learned my skills, you would use them for evil.”_

“Master, you can read people’s minds. I know I can’t lie to you. I will be honest.” Reita opened his mouth but stopped, glancing back at you and sheepishly motioning for you to leave. “Could you please give us some privacy, sis?”

 _“Like Hell.”_ Both you and Saiki replied at the same time.

Reita’s mind began overflowing with his honest desires and Saiki’s expression paled. _“He’s being too honest…this is the first time I have seen such an honest creep.”_ He held your gaze for a solid minute while Reita was rambling telepathically. _“You should move out immediately. For your own safety.”_

You could feel Saiki becoming angry at your brother’s presence, so you passed the doorway and calming your excitement from being in Saiki’s room, grabbed onto Reita’s shirt collar and pulled him towards the exit. “We will leave now! I’m so sorry about this, really.”

Reita dug his heels into the ground and tried breaking free from your grasp. “Can I come again sometime?!”

Saiki crossed the room in a flash, grabbing Reiki’s arm to help you pull him out of the house. _“Just go…”_ Then his eyes widened as his psychometry activated. Saiki forgot to put his gloves back on. His jaw dropped and he stared around his room. You blinked a few times too, the power somehow transferring through Reita and into you. All the ghosts in the room became visible. Including moon man.

Saiki froze, a slight expression of horror on his face.

Great. Your brother broke Saiki.

“Master! What’s wrong?!” Reita questioned frantically.

 _“Nothing. We both have our burdens.”_ Saiki communicated to both of you. Once he practically pushed you both out of the house, you turned to wave goodbye only to be met with the slamming of a door. You winced. Great. He hates me.

Reita spewed and gushed about how amazing his new master was the second you started walking home. You didn’t even bother answering him, you just let him talk. Your mind tried to focus on anything but Saiki, but he was pretty cute, even more so in person, and the image of his face kept popping up in your head. So you nearly jumped out of your skin when his voice popped into your head. _“Don’t tell anyone about this. Or my psychometry.”_

You looked over to Reita who continued to ramble on, so Saiki must have entrusted the task of keeping quiet to just you. A smile slowly spread across your face.

 _“The last thing I want is unnecessary attention.”_ You thought, hoping Saiki would get mental text message. There was quite a long pause before he answered you.

_“Good.”_

It sounded like he had a hard time deciding on what to say to that. You shrugged it off, rolling your eyes at Reita again as you had to pull him away from a woman’s bath house, trying to convince you to go in and find the best peeping spots for him. He was quite the handful, but you couldn’t wipe the smile off your face after having met Saiki in person. Tomorrow, school would start. Usually you hated the prospect of self-introductions and homework… but there were so many more people you couldn’t wait to meet!

School couldn’t come soon enough.


	3. Saiki Kusuo - Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After having an eventful first day at school, the Sports Festival comes up fast. You end up assisting Saiki's escape and spending some quality time with him.

You looked down at your required school uniform and scoffed. “This looks absolutely ridiculous.” You muttered to yourself. “I feel like my butt is hanging out…”

Your new brother Reiki balled his hands into fists. “If anyone tries to harass you, come straight to me and I’ll set them straight!”

“Nobody would dare.” You tried to stretch the skirt out a little. “I’m more worried about the other girls with you around, honestly.”

The Toritsuka twins soon joined the herd of teenage hormones as everyone began arriving on the school grounds at pretty much the exact same time. While you were looking around at all the familiar and not-so-familiar faces, you noticed quite a few of them were looking at the two of you with sideways glances. They really shouldn’t be surprised. This school got transfer students all the time. You were just another face hoping to disappear into the background.

You and Reita walked into your assigned classroom just as the bell rang. All eyes were on you as the teacher welcomed the new transfer students and you felt your skin get hot under their gaze. You saw the glowing, ever-perfect Kokomi Teruhashi glaring daggers at you. I’m nothing exceptional. Calm down.

“My name is Reita Toritsuka! I’m the older twin and I’m a medium! I can see ghosts and each of your spirit guides!”

The classroom erupted with smitten roars as Reita stood with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face. Well isn’t he popular already.

The teacher called for silence as you attempted to give your introduction, but it was too loud in there to hear you. Only a few students still had their eyes on you, most of the girls and even a few guys still staring heart-eyed and captivated at your brother.

“(Y/N) Toritsuka.” You fidgeted your feet as they watched expectantly for some grand confession such as Reita’s. You could almost hear the internal groans as you stated, “I’m just his sister.”

You had been so nervous about your introduction that you didn’t even notice which seat you were assigned. As you glanced at your sheet to confirm, you looked up with wide eyes. I’m right next to Saiki?!

Reita whined. “Aw come on! Why couldn’t I have that seat?”

You turned to him with a red face. “We can switch if you want…”

The teacher shook her head. “No switching of seats is allowed!”

Your eyes fixed to the ground as you made your way through the aisles of seats, taking a seat right beside Saiki. He turned his head slightly. “Why are you here?”

“Brother wanted to be closer to you so he could convince you to train him.” You paused, seeing his shoulders stiffen in annoyance. “I’ll try not to bother you. Sorry.”

As the teacher began the lesson, you were quickly introduced to The Idiot. You felt someone’s eyes on you, aside from Teruhashi anyway, and when you turned to look you saw Nendou staring at you with his usual dumb expression. You shot him a smile and turned your attention back to the blackboard. A few minutes later a paper plane landed on your desk. Glancing back at Nendou he had an excited grin on his face. Opening the paper, you read: “Wanna get ramen after school?”

You contemplated the offer. If you said yes, you would be putting yourself directly in the path of events and situations you were hoping to avoid. But you did at least want to be their friends. And Nendou, bless his soul, was just trying to be nice.

You gave him a quick thumbs up. He grunted happily.

The hours went by surprisingly fast and before you knew it, lunch had come. You didn’t pack anything because you knew you would be too nervous to eat, but as your stomach grumbled you kinda wish you had brought at least a little something to snack on.

Your head was propped up in your hand with an elbow on the desk. You had been watching the girls in the class crowd around your brother as he told them what their spirit guides looked like. Your eyes were sliding shut when a flash of white hair startled the tiredness out of you.

“My name’s Kaido Shun! You can call me Shun if you would like.” Why is he talking to me?

“I couldn’t help but notice you were sitting here all by yourself. I wouldn’t want the forces of evil to snatch you away and drag you into depression!” He bellowed, striking a heroic pose. How sweet of him to think of you, but his voice was hurting your ears.

A student with short purple hair and glasses stepped up beside Kaido. “Tone it down a bit. You’ll just scare her off.” He apologized on Kaido’s behalf, bowing as he introduced himself. “I’m Kuboyasu Aren. Nice to meet you.” He isn’t even supposed to be here yet according to the timeline, but we don’t ask those kinds of questions.

Nendou abandoned asking Saiki if he wanted to grab ramen after school to join the group beginning to form around your desk. Great.

“(Y/n)-san said she’ll come with for ramen after school!”

Kaido’s expression dropped as fast as his shoulders. “You didn’t even give me a chance, Riki!” Like you’d have a chance.

Another person walked up to your desk. You didn’t see Akechi when you came in, or more accurately you didn’t hear him, which is understandable since he comes in much later in the series and causes trouble. You didn’t see Aiura either. That left either Saiko, who would never come up to you anyway, or…

The area around you began to glow. Teruhashi Kokomi.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you (Y/n)-chan!” The boys surrounding your desk all gasped and she flashed them one of her iconic smiles. “I heard you were going out for ramen after school.” The boys drooled. “Would it be okay if I joined you? I’d love to get to know you!”

You saw Saiki flinch out of the corner of your eye from between Nendou and Aren’s figures. He had a hard time getting out of going to ramen after school because Nendou always seemed to find him, and now Teruhashi was coming too. Sounded like a nightmare to the both of you.

Please no… You pleaded in your mind, smiling through grit teeth. Suddenly Reita appeared, shoving himself through the Nendou barrier. “Of course! I’ll be there too!”

You deeply sighed as all the boys stammered over Teruhashi. Your eyes met hers and you could almost feel the dark energy coming off her, regardless of her shining exterior. Someone save me.

The rest of the school day went by without a hitch. The ramen night commenced and went surprisingly well. Saiki tagged along even though he looked like he would rather die, which is saying something when he always looks miserable to begin with. You sat across from him while he got stuck sitting beside Teruhashi. Thankfully you got Nendou to sit beside you before Kaido did, so aside from the startlingly happy glares you were getting from the “perfect” princess, nobody bothered you. A few questions about your favorite things came up that you were obliged to answer. Like your favorite color, and your favorite food. They wanted to get to know you and make you one of the buds.

It was thrilling to hang out with them. Just like you had always imagined. You got to have coffee jelly for the first time too, loving it as much as Saiki seemed to enjoy his. You thoroughly enjoyed yourself, even though the attention felt weird and you were so socially drained that you went straight to bed when you got home.

Hopefully Saiki enjoyed the afternoon, too.

\-----A few days later-----

You stood with your arms crossed at the back of a group of students. Sweat beaded beneath a yellow ribbon that was tied around your forehead. Even though you were new to the school, you were being forced to participate in the school Sports Day. The only thing you hated more than being bugged by people was being forced to sweat for a grade. You had just finished watching Teruhashi bribe her partner into winning their duo race. You sighed, begging to get out from under the midday sun. “What’s next, a scavenger hunt?”

A static came from the intercom as they announced the next challenge. “Pick one of your teammates to participate in the school scavenger hunt!!”

You clenched your jaw. Of course.

Nendou raised his hand, bellowing to a nearby teacher. “I volunteer!”

At this your shoulders relaxed a little as Nendou got into position for the scavenger hunt. Oh good. A perfect chance to step away into the shade. You took a step backward as the race began to try and stealthily make your way towards the trees at the edge of the field when you bumped into somebody. “Oh! I’m sorry!” Turning around as you apologized your eyes met Saiki’s. You had run into Saiki. You couldn’t tell if he was mad at you or just annoyed as usual. “I didn’t step on you, did I?”

Saiki didn’t respond, instead blinked and turned away just as Nendou crashed through the crowd towards you. “Lend me that!” His hand reached out and took Saiki’s control device. As soon as the pin left Saiki’s scalp he collapsed to the ground in a drooling mess. You and everyone else gasped. Your voice called out a little louder than the others as you dropped down to check on him. “Saiki!!”

“What Happened?”

“He suddenly collapsed!”

“You shouldn’t touch him!”

The students freaked out over the pink haired boy. You smacked your face, remembering that this had happened in the original storyline. I completely forgot!!

You turned to Nendou and pointed to the ‘hair pin’ and back to Saiki’s head. He grunted and put the object back where it belonged. Saiki sat up with a jolt a few seconds later. You sighed with a smile on your face.

“He regained consciousness!”

“Are you okay, pal?”

Saiki glared at the ground. Beads of sweat formed on his brow as his mind whirled. He didn’t answer anybody. Just then the announcer called everyone’s attention and drew them to the scoreboard, save for a teacher who asked if Saiki needed to go to the infirmary.

“He said he doesn’t feel very good.” You placed a gentle hand on Saiki’s shoulder, looking up at the teacher. “I can take him there for you.”

“Alright.” The teacher nodded, walking off after the other students. “You’re both excused.”

Saiki glanced at you with furrowed brows as you led him not to the infirmary, but to his locker for his lunch and then around the sides of the school where nobody would come looking nor be able to find the two of you. _“Why did you help me?”_ Saiki asked quietly.

You smiled. “What else was I supposed to do? Do nothing and give up a perfect excuse to ditch the rest of the sports festival? No way!”

You looked away just as Saiki’s lips played hints of a smile.

You caught him checking your person, noticing you didn’t have a lunch. “I hid my bento over here. I have lunch out here almost every day.” Saiki did nothing to express that he heard you as you opened a box stowed alongside the building, pulling your lunch out of it. The two of you sat down cross legged in the grass and opened your lunches.

You observed at Saiki tried to use his chopsticks to pick up a pickled plum, but his hands were shaking too much to grab it. After a few attempts and even managing to break his chopsticks in half, he sighed and put his lunch away. _“This is bad. I can’t control my powers.”_

You blinked a few times, shocked that he would just outright admit that to you. You stayed silent, enjoying your lunch and knowing he could just read your thoughts anyway. He ended up filling the silence with his own thoughts.

_“These aren’t actually hair pins. They are devices made to control my powers. The older I get, the less control I have over them.”_

You raised your eyebrows slightly as if to say “Oh wow, who would have guessed!” Even though you definitely already knew that. Saiki continued monologuing, shifting in his seat in the grass as if uncomfortable with being around someone who didn’t respond (like he always seems to do).

 _“I was out for only a few seconds. It could have been much worse.”_ Saiki paused, glancing around before continuing. _“I never thought Nendou would remove it though. I knew it. He’s too dangerous. I will need to eliminate him.”_

You chuckled to yourself and Saiki glared at you. “Nendou isn’t that bad.” You finally claimed.

Saiki stood, turning away from you and taking a few steps. _“I’m going home.”_

You raised an eyebrow knowingly as he struck a pose, standing there without anything happening. A few moments later he turned to you with a slightly red face. _“Can you sneak us out of here?”_

You showed him a big toothy grin. “What’s the matter? Can’t teleport?”

Saiki glanced off to the side and stood stock still, waiting for you in passive aggressive silence as you boxed up the rest of your lunch. You ended up sweet talking his way out of the rest of the days classes while simultaneously convincing your teacher he needed to rest at home and not the infirmary. You got yourself the rest of the day off too while you were at it.

You couldn’t help but feel your heart quicken as you noticed Saiki was watching you from the corner of his eye while you were walking him home. Before your mind had a chance to wander, you just openly said whatever would take your mind off how adorable he looked when he admitted needing your help. “Don’t tell Reita that I helped you today, and I won’t tell him that your hair pins control your powers. He would probably misinterpret that to mean that they give you powers and after the experience you had today I doubt you would want him plucking them out of your head anytime soon.”

Saiki nodded and said nothing. You hated the silence. Well, not that you hated the silence, but you hated how your mind wanders while you’re in it. Thankfully it wasn’t long before you arrived at Saiki’s house.

He opened the gate and stood with it open, watching as you stood a few steps away, waiting for him to go inside so you could wave him good-bye. You stood awkwardly for a minute before he sighed. “Are you coming in or not?”

You held his gaze. Determined not to look nervous, even though your stammering voice expressed that anyway. “Are… are you sure that’s ok? I mean, I, I don’t, I don’t want to be a bother. You should get some rest until your powers come back…”

_“Hurry up.”_

“Okay.”

Saiki invited you inside for some coffee jelly and TV time as thanks for saving him from the trouble of hiding his malfunctioning powers at school. Only you would know what would have happened if he had been forced to stay, and even though your class might not win the Sports Day now, you knew they were all fighting in Saiki’s name and would welcome him back with open arms tomorrow regardless. You had a grand time that afternoon, and even made some recipe changes to his coffee jelly to make it taste more like that 3,000-yen coffee jelly he had in episode six. Before you left, he wanted to know when you could come back and make some more.

You left with a big smile on your face. Even though Nendou was a great pal, you felt the beginnings of a great introverted friendship beginning with Saiki. Maybe more than friends?

You shook your head violently. NO! You couldn’t let yourself think that way. Saiki was aromantic and asexual. At least, you’re pretty sure he is. Anything more would absolutely never happen! Being able to call yourself his friend was accomplishment enough.

Still, your hands were drawn to your cheeks like magnets as you slapped yourself out of excitement. You were becoming friends with Saiki!!

This last week had been a literal dream come true! At that point, you truly believed life couldn’t get any better than this.


	4. Saiki Kusuo - Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It all starts when Saiki starts following you to your hideout for lunch break to avoid the other idiots in the classroom.

You stared outside the window, ignoring the teacher’s lecture for the third subject this day. You were starving and waiting impatiently for lunch. Ever since you showed Saiki your hidden spot around the side of the school he has been joining you every lunch that he can. Don’t get any funny ideas; the time was usually spent in blissful silence or making fun of the other classmates. Well, you made fun of the other classmates while Saiki occasionally replied to your remarks or shared a rare smile. It was your favorite part of the day.

The second the bell rang you jumped out of your seat, bento box in hand. You leapt over your desk and nudged Saiki, causing him to nearly jump out of his skin. Which was weird, because he was never off guard. You shrugged it off, leading the way to your favorite lunch spot. 

Sitting down in the grass across from him, you spoke to him using your thoughts. Or at least, tried to. _“You take notes, right? I’ll probably need to borrow them. I couldn’t make myself pay attention today. I was too hungry.”_

Saiki didn’t answer you. Instead he kept glancing around like he was seeing ghosts. You hesitated to open your lunch, looking at Saiki with a raised eyebrow. You decided to use your voice this time. “Are you okay?”

Saiki jerked his body away from you, obviously startled. He sighed as he recovered, pulling a ring off his finger with an annoyed frown plastered on his face. _“Sorry. Germanium cancels my ability to mind read and communicate telepathically.”_

“Ahhhh, I see!” You nodded, reaching out a palm for him to place the ring on. He handed it over for you to look at. “That’s pretty neat!” You handed it back as you asked, “What made you decide to shut off the voices for today?”

_“You did.”_

You sat back, feeling both shocked and violated. You always forget he can read your thoughts. Even then, now that you were thinking about your thoughts, you couldn’t think of what could have made him so mad. “Me? Why?”

 _“You’ve been playing the same song in your head for 16 days straight. That’s 384 hours… approximately 5,760 repeats.”_ You pulled a face that screamed “oops”, hearing the frustration in his thought. _“It doesn’t even stop when you sleep. I’ve started hearing it in MY sleep. The only relief I get is when I put this on.”_ He slid the ring back on his finger, relief washing over his face as silence filled his head once more.

You consciously tuned back into that song you’ve grown so used to playing in the back of your head. You felt your body get hot as you realized the track you got fixated on was “Helpless”. _I really hope he doesn’t think I like that song because it makes me think of him…_

You shrugged, shaking your head to get rid of the blush you felt rising on your cheeks. You stubbornly opened your lunch and started eating. You replied between bites. “It’s not my fault I have better stamina than you.”

“That doesn’t sound the least bit appropriate.”

You nearly choked on your food as you realized Saiki had just used his real voice. His voice sounded good in your head, but a million times smoother in person. That, and the embarrassment that your words did sound kind of dirty. You lost control of your blush as your face flushed bright red and you coughed up a lung between laughing fits. Your inner thoughts were all gone, instead replaced with a dull scream. Thank goodness Saiki couldn’t hear that.

Saiki blinked. Your heart palpitated and you gave up on life, throwing yourself down on the grass and laying there motionless as Saiki’s real voice filled your ears once more. “Are you okay?”

Hey, at least the song wasn’t stuck in your head anymore.

\---

Reita had recently learned that he can soul switch with ghosts. You were happy for him, of course, because he can do something useful with his powers where before he couldn’t really do much. But now you had to deal with all the different personalities shining through at random, and one of the ghosts that kept forcefully invading your brother’s body really, _really_ liked you. You felt your skin crawl as the ghost continued to hit on you using your brother’s body. You wondered if this is how Teruhashi felt all the time with her creepy brother. You shuddered, feeling sympathy for the blue beauty for the first time ever.

So that was the reason you were hiding out at Saiki’s today. You told Reita you were going to hang out with Nendou, which was the fastest way to make him leave you alone. Nendou repelled women, so naturally, Reita did not want to be anywhere near him.

Since you dropped by unexpectedly, you promised Saiki you wouldn’t be a bother. He had just come back from buying a new shitty game that you had never heard of, so you decided to sit and watch him play. The storyline wasn’t terrible, but the graphics hurt your soul and the lack of save points and constant restarts made you want to cry. After a few hours you got off the floor, laid back on Saiki’s bed and went hard at work on the foundations of the video game’s story, and created your own.

You had an incredibly vivid imagination that could twist any idea into a story. If you had the patience, you could probably be an author if you wanted. You started at the point in the game where Saiki had tried not to become friends with the knight. You created your own storyline, where by refusing friendship of the knight, your true identity as one of the goblins is revealed. Quite an interesting plot twist. The main character reveals he wants to use the kingdom as a means to an end. The main character wanted to be the king of the miscreants but didn’t have a big enough army to do it on his own. You created a colorful plot and tragic backstories, the main character eventually befriending the humans and joining the two kingdoms in a weird sort of harmony between the dark and the light. When the first ever human-demon child was born, a new prophecy was born with it, leaving the story completed but open for a sequel. Just the way you liked your video games to end… with promise of a sequel and room to daydream.

Proud of the complicated, deeply interwoven plot points and fleshed out characters you had made, you realized you were hungry. Your eyes, which had been shut, opened to see pink hair just outside of the corner of your vision. You turned your head to see Saiki sitting there, watching you with an incredibly focused gaze. You felt your face get hot.

You sat up, ignoring the weirdo and glancing at the clock. “Oops, it’s already time for bed. Sorry, I suppose you’re waiting for me to leave.” He continued to stare at you as you stretched. You noted that the game had been removed from his console and he put the remote away. “Did you finish your game? How was it?”

Saiki was silent, glancing to the side with a slightly embarrassed expression. You waited almost a full minute before he finally answered you.

_“I gave up on the game hours ago.”_

“Then… how long were you… staring at me?” Your face flushed red as you looked away, your hands fidgeting nervously. 

_“I wasn’t staring. I was listening.”_ Saiki sighed. _“There’s no way the plot of that game could have been better than what you came up with.”_ Saiki looked to you with wide, pleading eyes and a rare smile. _“The attention to detail was amazing! The plot twists were incredible! You even incorporated the multiple choice, showing glimpses into each outcome!”_ His smile disappeared as quick as he had shown it, his usual expression coming back with still a hint of sparkle in his eyes. _“Lay back down. I need the sequel immediately.”_

You chuckled nervously, scratching at the back of your head. You tried to come up with something, ANYTHING to reply to that with, but before you could think of anything Mr. Saiki opened the door to Kusuo’s room, interrupting the two of you.

Surely it was an awkward sight to behold. You, sitting on the edge of Saiki’s bed all flush-faced and nervous, and Saiki sitting at the side of the bed, on his knees, facing you with a determined look on his face.

Mr. Saiki stuttered. “(Y/N!)” He blushed redder than you. “I-I I’m sorry, I seem to have in-interrupted!”

You shook your head rapidly and belted, “No!” You shyly chuckled again, controlling the tone of your voice this time. “You’re not interrupting anything, sir.”

Mr. Saiki hummed. “Ah, sure. Okay! That’s good!” 

_He didn’t believe you._

“Well, it’s just that… Kusuo. Your mother and I called for you many times to come and eat. You guys were so quiet we thought that maybe you snuck out. So I came up quick to check on you.” He glanced back at you, stuttering again. “I did-didn’t even realize you were here until my wife told me, (Y/N)!”

_Who does he think you are?_

Saiki cursed his father under his breath. _“She helped me finish a video game. I was just convincing her to come back to help with the sequel.”_

“Huh.” Mr. Saiki looked even more confused. “You’ve never needed help finishing a video game before…”

Saiki yelled at him. _“We will come down for dinner in a minute, just leave!”_ Mr. Saiki shrieked and slammed the door shut behind him. 

Saiki sighed. _“Sorry about him.”_

You waved your hands. “It’s okay, really!”

Saiki rose to his feet as he questioned. _“So, eat and then sequel.”_

You scrunched your eyebrows at him. “It’s almost ten o’ clock at night!”

Saiki paused for a moment, grasping his chin. _“Then tomorrow?”_

“I’m going shopping with Chiyo around noon, but I might have a couple hours free afterwards?” You watched as Saiki shook his head. 

_“Not enough time…”_ He turned to you with a determined look in his eyes. _“What about Monday?”_

“Saiki!! We have school!”

Good grief. He really wanted that sequel.

\---

“Happy Holidays!”

“Merry Christmas!”

“Thank you, have a happy holiday!”

You were walking through the city, enjoying the cool weather and the lights. Your breath left trails of steam in the air as you strolled through the streets. Nendou walked with you, gasping at all the toys and shining things as you passed windows. You both came here today to do some last-minute shopping before the Saiki family’s Christmas party in a few hours.

Your hand gripped at a bundle of money in your pocket as a smile spread across your face. After a month of working holiday overtime at the same café that Mera worked at, you had saved enough money from tips for Saiki’s present. You get monthly spending money from the monks, but it wasn’t enough for everyone’s gifts. You had something specific in mind for Saiki, and it would have taken longer than you have been here to save up for it with just your allowance.

“Hey Riki-san!” The big-chinned man turned to you, smiling. You held out some bags you were holding. “Would you mind carrying these for me, just for a minute? I need to get something in here and I need both my hands.”

“Sure, pal!”

You entered the electronic store, avoiding the salesmen like the plague and looking at all the television options. A couple months ago when you played video games with Saiki, he mentioned how he restores his television every day because it broke a few years ago. Almost four years Is a long time to be fixing the same tv. Besides, it was far outdated, and the colors were dull. Sometimes the audio crackled, and it drove you nuts. You aren’t even sure how he managed to live with it for so long.

You chose the most basic of the televisions that was a few inches bigger than his current screen and had the high definition color. Thanks to a 20% off everything holiday sale, you even had a few hundred yen left over which you spent on fancy wrapping paper for everyone’s gifts, and a big bow for Saiki’s. When both of your shopping was done you stopped at Nendou’s house and his mother helped wrap presents since there were so many. Somehow half of the class got invited to the Saiki’s party, so you were bringing all your presents to give out.

Nendou and you made it to the party five minutes before the scheduled time. Surprisingly, you two were the first ones there. It gave you just enough time to put the presents under and around the tree before they all burst through the door, right on time.

Nendou and Mrs. Saiki hugged people as they came in. There was your brother Reita, followed by Kaido all bundled up and shivering. Aren entered with little Yuuta on his shoulders. Then the girls, Chiyo and Teruhashi, the perfect girl who let everyone in first whose smile faltered when she saw you. Mera couldn’t come because she was working. With you and Nendou, that meant the gang was all here. Except one. You still hadn’t seen your favorite Saiki yet, which meant he was probably upstairs hiding in his room. 

Avoiding the other students, especially Kokomi, you snuck upstairs and knocked on Saiki’s door while his parents were handing out snacks. You opened the door to find Saiki standing in front of his closet, looking at two different shirts. _“Which one would annoy Teruhashi more?”_ He asked you.

You giggled, pointing to a red and green one. “That one! It’s _hideous_. You could win an ugly sweater contest with that.”

_“Alright. Ugly red and green it is.”_

Saiki threw the sweatshirt on over a white tank top. He sighed, looking defeated. _“Guess it’s time to go socialize.”_

You gasped, remembering something. “Oh! Saiki. Question.” He nodded, so you continued. “Do you know what your present from me is?”

You filled your head with a million things that you had contemplated getting him in your head. Saiki squinted at you. _“No, and I have a feeling you’re trying to throw me off track on purpose.”_

You clapped your hands together in a prayer-like motion. “Would it be possible if you could _not_ use your x-ray vision on the gifts? It’s been so hard keeping it a secret from you and as long as you don’t know what it is, I’d love to keep it that way!”

Saiki sighed, walking over to his desk. You watched him curiously as he pulled out his germanium ring from a drawer. _“Fine. I’ll even wear this so you don’t have to think so hard.”_ He paused, shrugging his shoulders a little. _“It’s a little loud in here with this many people anyway.”_

You smiled widely. “Thanks Saiki!”

The glare you got from Teruhashi as you came back downstairs with her pink-haired crush following close behind was almost enough to kill a man. It probably would have if you were a man. You smiled brightly, ignoring the blue haired princess, and called out to Mrs. Saiki. “We’re ready now!”

The Saiki’s had prepared a huge feast, with turkey and ham, potatoes, fruits, vegetables, and three different cakes for dessert. Everyone ate their fill and nearly cleared off the table before sitting down to unwrap presents. 

Unsurprisingly, Teruhashi sat on the couch next to Saiki, but you just ignored her attempts to make him say “ouffu”. She should know by now that he never would say that, and probably not for anybody, except maybe out of pure shock. Besides, even if you were jealous, which you weren’t, Yuuta was bouncing all over her lap asking her to watch Cyborg Cider Man 2 with him. You were suddenly grateful that his parents weren’t going to be back until later. You observed your brother Reita for a few minutes as he was trying to woo Chiyo, unsuccessfully. For her eyes were locked on Kaido, who was currently talking you up. You knew it was his way of flirting, which now put you on Chiyo’s bad side. But you were truly enjoying the conversation about the Dark Reunion; coming up with interesting theories for him to stay awake all night thinking about. Which, now that you think about it, your support of his delusions was probably why he had a crush on you in the first place. Aren was sitting on the other side of the couch, minding his own business. Mrs. Saiki was having a wonderful chat with Nendou, and Mr. Saiki had disappeared to hand out presents as Santa to the neighboring kids.

“Alright, time for presents!” Teruhashi started, handing out her gifts to everyone. You could almost read her thoughts. Something like, _nobody will be able to surpass my kindness with these gifts! I will end this battle as quickly as it began by going first!_

It is scary how accurate you were.

All the boys except Saiki were stuttering over their gifts. You admit, she did a really good job. You may have all day, but I don’t, so I’ll skip over what everyone got. Except that she bought Saiki a gift card to an expensive bakery that sells exquisite coffee jelly. You smiled as you watched his eyes sparkle.

Surprisingly, Teruhashi got you a gift, too. It was a (favorite color/s) stuffed (favorite animal/creature). It was big enough to take up its own space on the couch and was very soft and fluffy. You hated to admit, but you loved it and immediately named it Akachan, which basically translates to baby. It was your baby now.

You decided since Teruhashi went first, you wanted to be last. You watched with pure joy as your friends gifted and received presents for well over an hour. You ended up with Akachan (Teruhashi), a gorgeous sweatshirt (Kaido), fingerless gloves (Aren), a friendship bracelet (Nendou), an object I do not know of but that you’ve been wanting for quite some time that isn’t terribly expensive but you just haven’t gotten around to buying it for yourself yet (Reita), and a box of homemade chocolates (Chiyo). You were a little disappointed when Saiki didn’t hand out any gifts, but that would have been out of character for him to buy us things. So you didn’t let it get to you. Besides, Christmas was not about what you received, instead it was about what you gave.

When it was finally your turn to pass out gifts, you understandably got a little nervous. You had put a ton of thought into your gifts and hoped they would enjoy them.

Aren got to open his first. You always felt bad that he keeps getting left out because he seems tough on the outside, but you knew he was a softie inside. He opened up his small present to see a badass homemade mask. You laughed as he immediately put it on while exclaiming his thanks, his eyes sparkling as he took a picture of himself and sent it to his family. You know he had left the gang life behind, but you saw his collection of masks once. He was incredibly proud of them, and they were all unique with their own stories behind them. He wore it for a while, exclaiming “They don’t make my glasses fog up!! How did you make it not do that?!” You promised to share the template with him sometime.

Nendou opened his next, wide-eyed as he stared at a bright yellow 20-Questions handheld game. It was really hard finding one that matched his hair. You knew he would be fascinated with the toy’s ability to guess pretty much any subject. He spent the rest of the night trying to stump the game, to no avail.

Kaido blushed redder than a tomato when you handed him a gift. He seemed surprised that you would get him anything. You hoped he didn’t see this as a gesture of love. His eyes widened as he unwrapped a black leather-bound lockable journal. He stuttered his words, trying to find the right ones to express how much it meant to him. You knew his mom had stumbled upon his top secret notebook at home and got him grounded for a month, so this way he could write down all his illogical Dark Reunion mumbo jumbo without the risk of having her read it without his permission. Or Nendou, for that matter.

Yuuta’s parents came home in the middle of the other present openings, so you sent him off with his special edition DVD of Cyborg Cider Man 2 that you had Saiki sign for you as a little extra touch.

Chiyo accepted your gift, even if it was a little hesitantly. It was a gift card to her favorite restaurant that had all her favorite dishes and desserts. Even though she really needed to go on a diet or she would be overweight in just a few episodes, you know she appreciated the sentiment. She thanked you with a hug.

You smirked as you gave Reita a small envelope. He glared at you, thinking you had been cheap and only got him a card. Opening it up, his eyes went wide and his pout turned into an excited squeal. You had paid for a year’s subscription of his favorite beach babe magazine so that he wouldn’t have to steal them from Nendou anymore. You knew you shouldn’t encourage his perverted behavior, but you couldn’t think of a single thing he wanted more than those magazines.

Walking up to Teruhashi, you handed over a gold-wrapped gift with a bow. You didn’t hate Kokomi, but she hated you because Saiki liked hanging out with you more than her. This gift was a gesture of “no hard feelings”, and you hoped she enjoyed it. She took the present with a smile, the confliction of being forced to accept a gift from an enemy apparent in her eyes. Yet as she opened the present and saw what you had gotten her, you could tell she felt a little guilty for treating you badly. It was a gorgeous hat and muff set made of white weasel fur. It brought out her hair and eyes and would compliment any of her lavish outfits. Even though it was worth a lot, it looked more expensive than it cost you. You had bought it second-hand from a family member of a monk. It hadn’t even been worn and was almost a hundred years old, too. “Th-thank you, (Y/n)…” She spoke in a whisper.

Finally, the biggest present, sitting against the wall behind the tree. Everyone was looking at it with wide eyes, wondering who it was for. You purposefully didn’t write names on your gifts so that nobody could just dive in and open them all at once. 

You turned to Saiki with a wide grin. You needlessly pointed towards the final present. “That one’s for you.”

Your friends, thankful for their gifts, still felt a pang of jealousy knowing that the silent kid got the biggest present. But, he was your best friend, so they weren’t surprised. Teruhashi smiled, happy that her crush was getting the biggest present, but her cheeks grew hot with anxiety as she wracked her brain on what it could possibly be.

Saiki begrudgingly got up and pulled the present out into the middle of the living room. All eyes were on him as he slowly unwrapped the fancy paper you chose specifically for him. It was pink and white and shiny. It reminded you of his hair pins. You were hopping in place from excitement as you saw for the first time, a Saiki who was shocked. His mouth was open slightly and his eyes widened as he stared at a brand-new television.

Without revealing too much, you commented. “The one in your room is ready to kick the bucket. I thought it was right time you got a new one…”

“(Y/n)! That’s so thoughtful!” Chiyo said, clapping her hands together.

“Woah! You’re one lucky pal!” Nendou cheered, looking up from his 20Q handheld. “I can’t wait to play games on that!”

“Where did you get the money for all this?!” Reita squeaked. Did he not notice you gone while you were working overtime this month?

Teruhashi sighed, admitting defeat. “You really are kind down to your very bones, aren’t you?”

Without warning Saiki crossed the room and wrapped you in a hug. You felt your heart stop beating for a moment. It was just a basic thank-you hug, but it still meant the world to you. You squeezed him as you spoke, your words muffled by his shirt. “Merry Christmas!”

Everyone began gathering their gifts in bags to carry home. Saiki immediately set up his new television so he could throw the old one in the dumpster. You smiled as everyone felt the joy of the holidays, exchanging one last round of hugs before departing the Saiki’s home, the Christmas party finally over. You told Reita to head home alone since you were staying behind to help wash dishes with Mr. and Mrs. Teruhashi. When Saiki was done setting up his new television, he helped put dishes away with his powers.

It was just about midnight by the time cleaning was done and the excitement of the holiday was already beginning to wear off. You felt a pang in your heart. This had been the best Christmas ever, and you didn’t want it to end.

As if reading your thoughts, which he probably was since he took the germanium ring off once the guests started leaving, Saiki approached you with his coffee jelly maker in his arms, the bow off his present now stuck to the top of it. He held it out, offering it to you. You stared at him, shocked that he would give you his most prized possession.

“Saiki, I can’t accept this!” You tried to refuse the present, but he shook his head and insisted you take it with you.

_“I was planning to spend my New Year’s money on a TV. Thanks to you, I can get the newest model of the jelly maker instead.”_ His lips turned up in a smile. You smiled, tears pricking at your eyes as joy flooded through your veins. Saiki’s eyes avoided yours. _“You make better coffee jelly with this than I do anyway.”_

He helped you pack all your new presents into manageable bags. You would have to come back for the jelly-maker, but that was ok. This way Saiki could keep using it until he got his new one in a week. 

All your bags in your arms and Akachan slung over your shoulder, Saiki opened the door for you. You turned to him as you left. “You’re my best friend, you know that Saiki?” He nodded. 

You grinned from ear to ear. “Good!” Turning your back to him, you started your walk home. “Don’t you ever forget it!”

Best. 

Christmas. 

EVER!!

\----

Saiki’s parents were out of town visiting his grandparents. Therefore, he was taking the opportunity to deep clean the house. You know, spring cleaning and the like. You had just stopped by with another batch of your prized coffee jelly as a thanks for gifting you his old coffee maker machine to find him hauling a ton of garbage out of the house. You ended up staying and helping the poor boy in his endeavor. How can his parents feel good about using their son like some kind of robot maid? I mean, he acted like a robot. But it still wasn’t nice.

As Saiki picked up the couch with his levitation powers and picked up bigger crumbs with his hands, you pushed a vacuum to pick up the little crumbs. The crackling sound of all the dirt and food that was being sucked into the machine made you cringe. Did these people ever pick up after themselves?

No. No they didn’t.

You wouldn’t offer to clean your own space, not when you could bully Reita into doing it. But helping Saiki with his cleaning knowing he really didn’t need it? It wasn’t a terrible way to spend a Saturday.

Saiki picked up and you vacuumed the entire living room, their parent’s bedroom, the spare room, and even Saiki’s room, which only needed a quick dusting. You lost count of the number of garbage bags you two drug out of the house. You guys even found a whole slice of pizza molding between the couch cushions! You shuddered thinking about how you had just sat there watching TV a few days prior. Saiki considered item-swapping for another, less greasy couch, but decided we would just watch TV in his room from now on instead. His parents do not deserve anything nice. And thanks to you, Saiki’s TV was better than the one in the living room, anyway.

Knowing there would be more scrubbing involved when it came to cleaning the kitchen, you waited to do that until last. After sweeping the kitchen floor, Saiki sprayed down the counters and cupboards while you scrubbed away at them. He used his powers to scrub from a distance, his arms folded in front of his chest and his face unamused as usual. You tried singing to lighten the mood. After all, a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down! But when he rolled his eyes and sighed at you, you stopped and started talking about your most recent anime binge instead.

Saiki seemed on guard and a little jumpy. You threw a wrapper at him and he nearly teleported away. You found it hilarious and started throwing things at him randomly to see his reactions. His eyebrows furrowed the more you laughed at him, but he didn’t tell you to stop, so you kept doing it. It wasn’t long before he got used to your attacks and was catching the objects with his powers before they even got close to him.

You wanted to clean the sides of the fridge, which you couldn’t do if Saiki just lifted it with his powers, so you insisted on just pulling it out from its spot between the wall and the counter. With a hand on each side of the fridge you started pulling it towards you. When the fridge was almost halfway removed you felt something crawl across your hand. Pulling back quickly with a scream you flung the creature away from you, Saiki instinctually just grabbing it with his powers thinking you were teasing him with another wrapper or something. But when you ran over to him with your heart racing and clutched to his shirt, hiding behind him as you yelled “Kill it!!” He realized it was a cockroach. Just floating there now, in the air. A few feet in front of his face.

A whoosh filled your ears and the temperature changed dramatically. Still gripping to Saiki for dear life, you looked around to see you were now standing in a tropical area on a rocky ledge, overlooking a waterfall and a crystal-clear pond below. “Oh, okay. I guess that’s one way to get rid of it. Denial works. I’m okay with this.” You reasoned, realizing you had just been teleported to God-knows where in Saiki’s panic. 

_“You can let go now.”_ Saiki uttered in annoyance. 

You straightened yourself out and let go of Saiki, flipping your hair. “I could have killed it if it hadn’t startled me.”

_“I don’t believe you.”_

You walked to the edge, overlooking the water below. The pond was deep, but still clear. The crashing water from the fall filled your ears and the mist caressed your lungs as you inhaled deeply. “Hey, this place is pretty neat!”

Suddenly you felt something touch your leg. Spinning around fast, fearful it might be a spider, you were thankful to see it was just a fern blowing in the wind. But then your eyes caught sight of a spider on said fern that was bigger than your hand and you jumped back, your heart and stomach constricting as you fell backwards. Your eyes caught a glimpse of Saiki teleporting away the second he saw the arachnid. You shrieked as you plummeted two stories down into the water below _. Saiki! A little help!!_ You were just attempting to orient yourself upwards when you felt a hand grab your wrist, and suddenly you dropped into the temple you call home, your brother Reita’s girly screams filling your ears. You coughed and groaned, looking at the puddle of water you were now going to have to clean up. You mentally cursed the psychic for the mess.

Saiki muttered. _“Sorry. I panicked.”_

Reita hid the magazines that had been scattered on the floor before coming over to you, his voice pitchy as he pummeled you with questions. “What happened?! Why are you wet? Are you okay?” He stood and glared at an equally drenched Saiki, his temper flaring as he caught sight of Saiki’s grip on your wrist. “Why is HE here?!” 

You and Saiki slowly turned to look at each other, exchanging a glance before turning to Reita. The two of you asked in unison. 

“Can you kill a cockroach for us?”

_“Can you kill a cockroach for us?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this 4-in-1 chapter! This bundle of stories was meant to show the casual relationship build between you and Saiki! The next update might take longer to write, for I have a huge essay I need to work on. But do not fret! I have it all planned and ready to go. Also, I edited the first 3 chapters to have proper italics for thoughts, I didn't realize they hadn't transferred over the first time! Sorry about that!
> 
> Next time: Saiki Family Reunions, Auria reads your fortune, Awkward Moments with Teruhashi and more!


	5. Saiki Kusuo - Part 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saiki sends you off to get your fortune read by the newest transfer student, Mikoto Aiura. At first you don't believe in fortune-tellers, but in the end it leaves you questioning your feelings for the pink-haired psychic.

London. 

It was a beautiful city, but it had one major downfall.

“Let’s play rock-paper-scissors.” _Kusuke._

My dear brother Kusuke lives here. Yes, don’t be so surprised. This part of the chapter is from my point of view. Calm down. You won't get another chapter from dear Saiki's perspective until next chapter. Enjoy it while you can.

 _“Don’t ignore me.”_ I could nearly feel the veins begin to pop out of my head. I didn’t want to be here, but a flying baseball collided with my control device and broke it, rendering it useless. The only person who could fix it was this loser. 

Kusuke counted to three and we threw hands. I played rock. He played scissors.

“I lost!”

He was grinning. Why was he grinning about a loss? _“Are you happy now? I’m going.”_ Mom and dad went out for a date on Kusuke’s dime, so now I was stuck with this creep following me around.

The annoying blonde was relentless in his attempts to get his brother Kusuo to notice him. “My record against you is 0 wins and 725 losses now. Your winning percentage is the lowest when you play rock. Well, I guess that’s because I chose to play scissors only 104 times. I have lost the word game 31 times. I have also lost shogi 59 times chess 10 times, and video games 189 times. I have also lost mah-jongg four times and the memory game seven times. There are others too. Altogether, how many times have I lost against you?”

Saiki stopped and turned to glare at Kusuke with wide eyes. _He remembers all of that? That is really creepy._

“My total record against you is 0 wins and 4,254 losses.” 

Kusuo’s eyes narrowed _. “What is he scheming?”_

Kusuke lay a hand on Kusuo’s shoulder and showed him an image. He asked politely for Kusuo to take them there. With a reluctant grunt, Kusuo teleported them. “Teleportation is really amazing!” Kusuke beamed, his hand still on his shoulder with a suspicious death grip.

The room was red and gold, decorated with fancy materials and expensive-looking objects. There was a bed with silk sheets, fresh flowers sitting in a golden vase on the bedside-table, and a bottle of wine chilling by the window. _“Where are we? A hotel room? Are we in London?”_ Kusuo’s senses suddenly picked up on three human signatures that were all too familiar as his eyes went wide. _Wait, that can’t be…_

“Did you already figure it out?” My brother’s words hit my ears just as my eyes went wide from shock at the realization. “Correct. They are in the next room.”

My jaw clenched and I glared daggers through my glasses. Oh how I wanted to turn him to stone right now. _“What?! Why are they here?”_

“I summoned them. I called them a day before you arrived. I asked them to come to London to surprise you. I sent them plane tickets.”

 _Good grief._ Kusuo gripped at his head. His brother was giving him a headache from this nonsense. _“You must be joking! They wouldn’t fly to London…”_ Kusuo retracted his statement. _“Well, THEY would, but her?”_ He shook his head. _“Nevermind. Why did you bring them here?”_

“Let’s play a game, Kusuo. Let’s play tag in London.”

_“What?”_

“I lost rock-paper-scissors. I will be it. The time limit is three hours. As long as you don’t leave London, you can take buses, taxis, or subways. Well? Sounds like fun, right?” Kusuke smiled widely, clapping his hands together like a happy toddler. I just sighed.

_“What is the point? London is larger than the 23 wards of Tokyo.”_

“You will play with those three so you can’t use your powers.”

I absolutely cannot believe him right now. _“I don’t want to play.”_

“If you win, I will treat you to afternoon tea at this hotel…” Kusuke added with a smirk. _Good grief. Damn I hate him._ Before he could even finish his sentence I was out of the room and knocking on the next door over.

_“Okay. Let’s play tag!”_

Two idiots and the woman I’ve come to call my best friend stood there with various expressions on their faces. Yes, best friend. Don’t be so surprised, she is the only one I consider a friend in the first place, so that makes her my best friend by ranking standards. Just because I hang out with people does not make them my friends.

Nendou sported his usual dumb happy expression as he called out to me first. “Hey, pal!”

“Did we surprise you?” Kaido beamed with a smile. _“Yes. You did.”_

My eyes skimmed over the two boys and landed on (Y/n). _I can’t believe she signed up for this._ “Yo!”

“Let’s play tag!” Kusuke interrupted the welcome party. 

“Tag?” Nendou, Kaido and (Y/N) all asked with question marks floating above their heads.

Kusuke nodded. “I will be it and Kusuo will hide. You three need to help him.”

Kaido pouted. “What about the surprise?”

“Oh we surprised him all right…” (Y/n) muttered as she crossed her arms. Was that aggression in her voice? _Another thing I have to worry about._

Kusuke explains the rules again before pulling out his phone. He taps on the clock and sets a timer for three hours. “Time starts now! I will begin searching in 30 minutes. Have fun!”

_ ~Ten minutes later~ _

“What is this Saiki? I don’t understand.” Kaido glances around rapidly as they walk along a bustling street. Nendou walked beside them and you pulled up the rear. Saiki was walking in front with a map in his hands, planning a route.

_“I’m sorry to involve you, but just shut up and follow me. This is a serious game.”_

Kaido makes a fist, flexing to no one as he boasts. “I am used to being chased by the Dark Reunion. Tag is nothing to me! But I’ll make it interesting.” He turns to (Y/n), a smirk on his face and sparkles in his eyes. “I promise I will protect you, Miss Toritsuka…”

Saiki rolled his eyes. A little spark of anger went off within him at Kaido’s words. Probably just because he was still talking when he needed to focus.

Nendou grinned. “Sounds good! I am known for my skills in tag!”

 _Well aren’t you two excited._ I looked over to the only non-annoying person in the lot and tried to judge her emotional state. _What about (Y/n)?_

Her eyes were off looking around instead of focusing on where they were going. There was a pep in her step and even though there was a wave of negativity coming from her, it was mostly subdued by her awe at the architecture of the city. _Good. She’s having fun too._

Suddenly you piped up for the first time since the group had left the building. “Isn’t this too easy?” Her voice sounded determined, as though she had full confidence in their ability to win the game of tag. “London is huge! I’m personally already lost.”

Saiki held back a smile. _Of course she would be lost already._ _“I don’t want to stay on the streets. There are cameras down in the subways too, but better to put some distance between us.”_

You raised your hand almost like you were waiting to be called on in class. “I thought the workers were on strike?”

 _How would she know that?_ Just as Saiki was about to go down to the subway, he saw the gate was closed and a notice was posted on a sheet of paper taped to the metal. _Oh. Look at that. They are._

_He knew about this._

Kaido started sweating. “The bus line is huge! This is bad!! We need to move or we’ll get caught!” You glanced at the pale blue-haired boy and squinted. Her thoughts rang loud in my head. 

_“I thought you were used to this.”_

I nearly laughed out loud. I shook my head to get back on track.

_“Yes. He is coming quicker than you expect.”_

Nendou grunted, glancing around at the streets which were starting to empty out due to the noon hour being almost over. “Let’s just run!”

Saiki crossed his eyes and used his clairvoyance to spy on Kusuke. The blonde was on a hang glider and closing in fast. _He’s close! He can reach this place in less than five minutes._

Kaido grips at his hair and panics. “What should we do? Get in line for the bus? What should we do!?”

Saiki stops to think, holding his chin as he is deep in thought. You tap on his shoulder and point at a bike rental system. “We could use those?”

Kaido and Nendou’s faces light up. _“Great idea.”_

It was a great idea. Unfortunately, Kaido was one of the most oversold people on the planet when it came to his abilities.

(Y/N) twists around to yell at the paranoid man. “Come on, Kaido-kun! Keep up!”

Kaido’s pedals had begun to revolve slower and slower. His breaths were coming in catches and he began to wheeze. His scarf was drenched in sweat. He tips the bike over and lays against the wall of the alleyway they had been travelling down. “Let’s take a break…”

_You’re completely out of breath._

Your brakes squealed as you whipped the bike around, glaring at Kaido. _Wow. She’s all fired up._

“We’ve only been biking for 15 minutes!” (Y/n) yells at Kaido. Although he seems to have passed out from exhaustion and doesn’t respond to her assault of words.

I looked at the mental map of our travels thus far. _“We tried to avoid cameras. We should be okay. If we move around too much, he will detect our location. Perhaps we shouldn’t move.”_

“No!” I was surprised when you spoke up so determinedly. Usually you were a passive, go-with-the-flow kind of person. “Saiki. If London is as full of cameras as you say it is, then wouldn’t Kusuke be able to effectively predict our path?”

Saiki’s eyes went wide. _She’s right!!_ _How didn’t I think of that?!_

Right on cue, a loud motor revved in their ears. Eyes snaped above them as they saw a motorcycle drop down into the alley from the rooftops. Saiki dodged in the blink of an eye right before he would have been crushed. (Y/n) swallowed hard. Nendou and Kaido’s eyes went wide and they gasped. It was Kusuke.

Nendou cheered. “Bro, that’s so cool!”

(Y/n) yelled, pulling Kaido onto the back of her bike. “This isn’t the time for that!” The four teenagers sped off, hearts racing as they heard the motorcycle racing right behind them. “Let’s go!”

I had to admit that (Y/n) was a pro at riding bike. Even though she had the extra weight of Kaido standing on the back spokes and basically choking her from wrapping his arms around her neck in fear, she led the pack and zoomed around corners so sharply that even I was afraid of tipping over.

“How did he find us?” Kaido screamed, (Y/n) flinching at the sound.

“Maybe he has psychic powers!” Nendou joked. I shot (Y/n) a look when she belted a laugh.

“I just told you!” She explained with a hiss. “He predicted our path because we were avoiding cameras.” She glanced behind us, getting a grip on Kusuke’s location. “There’s only so many ways you can go without hitting a camera or two.” She paused, scrunching her eyebrows. “But still, to find us that fast…”

Even though I was proud of (y/n)’s deduction, I could predict her next thought. _“Tracking device! That jerk!”_

I mentally cursed myself for not having thought of that myself earlier. I can’t destroy the control device, so I settled with disconnecting important cables in Kusuke’s motorcycle. Kusuke’s motorcycle skid to a halt and we were able to get a good distance from him before we ditched the bikes and ran into a convenience store.

_As long as he knows our location, this is better than walking around. We need to…_

“We need to blend in. Avoid standing out.” (Y/n) finished my sentence before I could even finish thinking it. My heart felt like it swelled. Was this pride for another human? Who knows.

(Y/n)’s sides were heaving, yet a wicked grin was plastered to her face. I read her heart rate as 162bpm and her thoughts were scattered. I had never seen her quite so excited before, nor having exerted this much effort into anything outside of beating a video game boss. I almost got distracted reading her thoughts. She was so interesting.

Kaido was bent over gasping for breath even though all he had to do was hold on to (y/n). Nendou was fine, unsurprisingly as he is a monster of a human.

Nendou disappeared only to reappear driving a toddler’s car toy. His legs bent out like chicken wings and he hunched over the steering wheel. “We should escape in this!”

That is impossible.

Something caught Kaido’s eye and he ran off. “This game console hasn’t been released in Japan yet!!!”

Saiki’s eyes narrowed at the idiots. “This isn’t the time for…”

Suddenly even (Y/n)’s voice could be heard as she squealed over something. “Oh. My. God. This is the last collectible in the set I was looking for!! AND IT’S HALF OFF!!!!”

_Good grief._

Before Saiki could open his mouth to tell them off a voice rang over the store intercom. “We have an announcement!”

That voice…

Please look for three Japanese males. One has pink hair and has climbed Big Ben. Another is a bad child with shifty eyes who calls football soccer. Another is a serial killer who kidnapped a young lady. She has (hair color(s)/length), (eye color), and should still be with him.”

Saiki groaned internally as a crowd formed around them.

“It’s them!”

“Get ‘em!”

Saiki lunged forward and pulled on your arm, running towards the back of the store. Kaido and Nendou were close behind. Saiki closed his eyes. He had to think fast to get out of this one. _That’s it!!_

GPS can identify a location, but it cannot determine height. 

I used my powers to make some people we passed appear like us. In the confusion we escaped up some stairs and sought out the bathroom, just above the ones downstairs. As Kusuke would close in and try to catch us, he would think we are downstairs, trapped by all the angry people. The GPS would certainly say we are there. But he wouldn’t know that the people trapped in the bathroom weren’t us, but the people I used mind control on instead. This will all happen just as…

Kusuke’s phone started buzzing in his pocket.

_Time’s up._

~

“So that’s what happened!” Saiki’s father beamed while he ate a cheesecake.

His mother giggled. “Kusuke is always competing with Ku!”

Saiki closed his eyes, enjoying a coffee jelly as they all sat in the hotel room, enjoying their afternoon tea that was promised to them when they won the game of tag. Nendou and Kaido sat at a second table, fighting over sweets. (Y/N) graced the same table as Saiki and his parents, sleepily picking at a (favorite dessert).

“He’s probably depressed that he lost again.” Mr. Saiki muttered.

 _I don’t think so. He is the type to lose 4,255 times and challenge me again. Just the opposite. Simply put, he’s a masochist._ An image of Kusuke beaming to the sky with a grin made of pure bliss filled Saiki’s mind. If you didn’t know the context, you would think that was a face of doing… something else. _That’s why I don’t like him._

As the sweets disappeared off the tables, the people also started disappearing from the room. Nendou and Kaido rolled themselves into their own room as they fell into a sugar coma. My parents were next.

“Goodnight, Ku-chan!” I really wish mom would stop calling me that. 

_“Goodnight mom.”_

“Don’t stay up too late!” _How old does my father think I am?_

Which left two coffee jellys, me, (Y/n), and a room full of silence. Now, I thoroughly enjoy a good bout of quiet, but something had been on my friend’s mind all day and I was going to find out what it was. Don’t ask me why, but the thought of letting her go to bed mad at me and not knowing why left me feeling… guilty? I’m not sure.

I slid one of the two coffee to (Y/n). That seemed to cheer her up a little bit. “Thanks, _Ku-chan_.”

_I take back everything I just said._

_“Never call me that again.”_

She laughed at me, wiping off her spoon before dipping it into the soft yet firm jelly and taking a small bite. She hummed. “It’s almost as good as mine!”

I couldn’t help but crack a smile. She was right. (Y/n)’s coffee jelly was still superior.

“Listen.” I looked up at her to let her know I was listening. She paused for a moment, thinking before speaking. Why did her hesitance make me nervous? “You probably already know what I’m going to ask. But I want to ask directly. Why didn’t you tell me you had a brother?”

It’s true. I had read her mind all day, albeit unwillingly, and knew she felt betrayed by me keeping a whole piece of my history from her. Granted, that jerk brother of mine never crossed my mind, and that’s just how I like it. _“I didn’t think it was important.”_

She opened her mouth, stopping once and taking a breath before continuing. “I mean, it isn’t really. I just feel like after today especially, there’s so much history there. Not knowing about it feels like you were keeping a part of yourself away from me, I guess.”

I felt like there was more about herself that she was keeping from me, but I don’t like to pry. Besides, it doesn’t bother me any if people keep secrets. My entire existence is a secret.

“To be honest, I already knew you had a brother. Your parents accidentally told me.” Again, why do I feel like she isn’t being totally truthful? Wait, I just said I didn’t care. _Do I care?_ “But when they mentioned him while you were around you got mad and it sounded like you wanted to keep him a secret from me. I guess that’s what’s been bugging me is all.”

Ah, I get it now. She felt like we were keeping it secret from her on purpose. Like a part of my past I wanted to keep hidden. Which isn’t the case. I just hate his guts.

I sighed, putting down my spoon and looking her in the eyes.

 _“He doesn’t seem unpleasant at first… but I don’t like him because he doesn’t like me.”_ (Y/n) held my gaze and listened intently as I explained. _“But I understand why he doesn’t like me. The reason that my parents weren’t shocked when I was born was because of him. At one month old, ‘comprehended’ was his first word. At two years old, he had mastered basic reading, writing, and mathematics. His IQ was 218. He was a genius. But at three years old he hit a wall. That wall was me. He must have felt humiliated. It has been four years, and I’ve never met him since.”_ I paused, shrugging my shoulders slightly. _“Well, once. If you include today.”_

I could sense her heat index rising slightly as she snickered to herself. “I suppose that makes a lot of sense, then.”

I tilted my head slightly. _“What do you mean?”_

“Kusuke asked me to go on a date earlier.”

I felt the spoon in my hand crush as I subconsciously gripped my hand into a tight fist. Kusuke had never met (Y/n) before today, why would he ask her out?

“Don’t worry,” (Y/n) waved her hand and shrugged it off. “I said no.”

I sighed with relief. Wait, relief? Well, I suppose that’s natural. Kusuke would only be after (Y/n) if he thought I had any interest in her myself. Which I don’t. She’s just a friend and can date whoever she wants. I just overreacted. I want the best for her, you know? And Kusuke is definitely _not_ the best.

The sound of a chair scooting pulled me out of my thoughts. (Y/n) had finished her jelly and stood, straightening out her clothes. “I guess I’d better head to my room. I’m exhausted!”

I stood and escorted her to the door, opening it for her. When she stepped out into the hall she stopped and turned around with a smile. Suddenly all the voices within 200km drowned out by her thoughts.

 _“I really want to ask for a hug…”_ she thought. _“But I don’t want him to feel forced to accept one. I’ll just say goodnight.”_

Without hesitation I opened my arms, inviting her in. The sparkle in her eyes was priceless. For just a moment, I wished I could see her true features instead of her muscle structure without having to blink every five seconds to reset the ability. I found myself wanting to take in the sight for longer than my stupid powers allowed. I gave her a quick hug and waved her off as she walked down the hall. Her thoughts were once again positive, and her step had a bounce back in it.

“Goodnight, Saiki!”

Good grief. I never thought that having real friends would be this emotionally taxing. Yet, even though she pushed my boundaries, I didn’t exactly mind it either.

\----------------------------------------------------------

You stood with your arms crossed, a bag in your hand as you tapped your foot. Kaido was hogging the bathroom mirror and you needed to finish your makeup. “Shun!! I swear to God if you aren’t finished in five minutes…”

Kaido shivered at your tone. “(Y-Y/N)-chan, you’re making me mess up!”

You rolled your eyes. “You’re dressed as a vampire! How much makeup could you need?”

“More than you would think!” Kaido huffed, drawing a teeny line of fake blood down his lip. “I’m almost done. Just a couple more blood lines…”

“I’m going to GIVE you blood lines when I punch you in the face, lets GOOOO!”

While you let Kaido spend every second of his five minutes on a single trail of blood that ran down his chin, you set out the materials you would need to finish your look. Mascara, liquid eyeliner, gold and red eye shadow, blood red lipstick, skin glitter. Glancing at the clock you knew there was only time for one or two mistakes in your application before the guests arrive…

Your costume this year was a Greek Goddess. You were meant to “match” with your brother Reita, who was going as Zeus. He begged you to call yourself Hera, who was Zeus’s sister, but you angrily reminded him that Zeus also married Hera. Whatever, nobody was going to ask you which Greek goddess you were anyway. It was only important to yourself that you knew you were Hestia, Zeus’s other, less important, and certainly less sexualized sister.

Hestia was usually portrayed with red hair, but you didn’t bother dying your hair or buying a wig. You instead gave your (color) locks a little curl and a little glitter. That was all that was visible at the moment, for you were wearing a robe over top of your costume until the big reveal. Your outfit was a white, heavily Greek inspired dress with a red sash and belt. You bought some cheap gold sandals at a thrift store as well as a gold bangle bracelet. You painted your nails gold with one red accent nail on each hand yesterday so they would have time to dry. You had even bought yourself a new push-up bra just for the occasion, not that anyone would notice or care except yourself. It was nice to feel sexy once in a while! Now all you needed was your makeup…

Before Kaido could even state he was finished you pushed him out of the way, getting straight to work on your finishing touches. You won’t admit to practicing applying makeup multiple days a week just for this outfit. Kaido ran off to finish prepping the living room with banners and pumpkins and his homemade coffin (Yes coffin, not casket) laying in the middle of the floor. He had games and food and movies prepared for everyone.

The doorbell rang with the first guest as you were rolling glitter over your cheeks and shoulders for a little extra touch. Glancing in the mirror one last time and approving your work, you threw off the robe and headed downstairs.

You walked in on quite the sad sight. Kaido was yelling and Saiki was standing in the middle of the living room quite dejectedly. Saiki was in his school uniform. Turns out he didn’t know how to properly celebrate Halloween…

You put your hands on your hips and tilted your head. “Oh come on, Saiki. You can’t tell me you’ve never seen ‘The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown’ or ‘Hocus Pocus’ or anything remotely Halloween themed before?”

Saiki’s eyes turned to you as he shook his head slightly. You and Kaido dually sighed. 

Kaido perked up slightly as a thought crossed his mind. “You know, that’s ok! I have costumes on my closet, I’m sure we can find something for you...”

Just then the bell rang. Excitedly, Kaido ran over to it, flinging the door open only to see a toilet-paper mummy Aren and another person with a blanket over their head and a crudely colored in pumpkin face pinned to the front of it. Standing behind them was Nendou, who was wearing his usual tank top and jeans.

“Oh COME ON!!!” Kaido sobbed and locked himself in his coffin.

The man under the blanket revealed himself by his voice when he complimented you. “Wow, (Y/N)! I don’t think I’ve ever seen you put this much effort into your appearance before.” You raised an eyebrow and he stuttered. “I-I-I don’t mean that as a bad thing!! You’re very pretty!”

Aren elbowed him. “Hairo! She’s not pretty, she’s beautiful today! A man must always be honest.”

“Guys!” You pleaded with them, interrupting their banter and changing the subject off yourself before your face got red. “Have you been living under a rock your whole lives? Where’s the Halloween spirit?”

As if on cue, Reita crashed through the door, posing proudly with a huge thunderbolt staff and a flowing white cape. “Behold! The mighty Zeus! Give me your women!”

Yep. Zeus fit him perfectly. You gestured to the pervert. “See? Reita know’s what’s up.”

Hairo pulled the blanket off his head with a puppy dog look in his eyes. “We’re sorry, (Y/N). We really didn’t know we were supposed to wear costumes…”

Aren flexed and showed off some buttons glued to the tips of his fingers. You cracked a small smile. “I mean, for last minute you didn’t do too bad.”

Nendou laughed. “See? I told you (Y/N) wouldn’t care.”

“Not you, you didn’t even try!! Besides, that’s not true!” You stomped your foot like a toddler. “We are fixing this right now! A Halloween party is not a party without guests in costume.” 

You shouted as you headed up the stairs, gesturing for your classmates to follow. “Kaido! I’m raiding your closet.”

You heard a muffled “Okay” and went straight to work.

You grabbed a tux, hat, and dress shoes first, shoving them towards Aren. You pulled a basketball jersey off a hanger and a pair of basketball shorts, throwing them at Nendou. A weird “HAH” sound came out of your mouth as you found a themed tee shirt, handing that and a pair of jeans over to Hairo.

“Minimal work, but I promise it will look awesome. Trust me!”

They wandered off to separate rooms of the house to change while you stood pondering at the closet, glancing between it and Saiki. There wasn’t really anything that stood out to you as a good outfit choice for the pink haired psychic… you knew he wouldn’t be down for a Natsu from _Fairy Tail_ cosplay because that involved wearing a vest without a shirt, even if that would have utilized his natural hair color perfectly. You had a couple capes and masks and could pull off a Jason or _Scream_ costume easy peasy, but felt that those were too lazy even for you. You dug through the box of hats, desperate for an idea.

 _“Can’t I just be a high schooler and call it good?”_ Saiki questioned, watching you dig through all of Kaido’s stuff and make a mess of his room. 

“No! I need to find something…” Just then you reached the bottom of the box, and with it you scraped your hand on something sharp. A teeny yelp escaped your lips. Grabbing the item that injured you revealed an extravagant crown. Red and gold with fake gems and feathers. The item was so perfect for a costume that you didn’t even realize you were slightly bleeding.

“Perfect!” You turned to show Saiki only to run into him, his hand reaching out for yours. You froze, your face burning hot as he ran a finger over your bleeding palm. You set the crown atop his head, distracting yourself from his closeness. “You’re going to be a king!”

 _“Good grief.”_ When Saiki’s hand let go of yours, you had been healed.

“I didn’t know you could do that.” You questioned, smiling up at him. “It really wasn’t that bad, but, thank you!”

Saiki replied with a curt nod, stepping back as you pulled a red cape from the dark recesses of the closet. How did you know that was even in there?! You kept scavenging but couldn’t find anything else to go with the costume. “Sorry, Saiki. Yours is going to look less complete than the rest of them. I just can’t seem to…”

You turned around to hand Saiki the cape and your jaw dropped in shock and awe. You didn’t notice him ever leave, but he must have teleported and bought costume elements to match your vision. He had a flashy cape, fitted 1800’s king outfit, boots, and even had a bedazzled staff in his hand. One of his fingers ever adorned a big, realistic looking diamond and sapphire ring. If Saiki had said that he ‘borrowed’ his pieces from a museum, you would have believed him.

Your eyes sparkled as you threw the other, less majestic cape down. You clapped your hands excitedly. “See? You make a _perfect_ king!”

Heading back downstairs you looked out on your hard work. Aren was the spitting image of “The Godfather”, he had even drawn on a little mustache and tucked a small paper rose into his breast pocket. Nendou was standing tall and looking like the best idiot basketball player you had ever seen. Hairo was wearing a white tee-shirt with red letters that spelled “Vote for Pedro” on the front. A classic _Napoleon Dynamite_ reference. His red hair reminded you of that movie, and he certainly had the energy to dance!

You felt like your cheeks were going to get stuck in a smiling position. “Kaido! Come look!”

The depressed vampire crept out of his crypt and gasped in shock. Tears pooled in the corner of his eyes as he ran to group hug everyone. “You guys!!! I knew you had the Halloween spirit in you!”

You rolled your eyes, the glitter on your eyelids sparkling and reflecting the light. Saiki held out a hand, denying hugs as he stated, _“One cannot simply touch the king.”_ Everyone was shocked at the quality of Saiki’s costume, especially Kaido who had no idea he owned such nice things. Which… he didn’t… but whatever.

The room quickly filled with laughter and the joys of Halloween. You were happy to have been a part of these guys’ first Halloween experience. You enjoyed watching _Scream_ and the sequel, laughing as much as the boys were screaming. The seven of you polished off five pounds of candy and handed out another ten. Reita opened the door to hand out candy once and saw a group of girls from school. He decided to take his role as Zeus personally and went out trick or treating with them, using his costume as an excuse for his perverted-ness. Nendou and Hairo had brought squash instead of pumpkins, so you showed them just how terrifying carved squash can be! Chiyo and Teruhashi even stopped by and hung out for a little while, but got scared off by the horror movies. Not that you cared.

Of course, it ended way too fast. The girls had left at midnight and before you knew it two in the morning arrived and it was time to go home. Except for Hairo of course, who fell asleep at 8pm like a loser. Kaido waved you, Saiki, Aren, and Nendou goodbye, with Nendou and Aren splitting off soon after because they lived on the other side of town. This left you and Saiki walking home together just like the fanfiction Gods predicted.

The night sky was gorgeous, even under the city lights. You looked up as you walked, spotting constellations like Cassiopeia and Draco. The stars always shone brightest in the cold. In fact, you were trying to focus on the stars to distract yourself from the icy night air that blew across your bare skin and sent shivers down your spine. After a few minutes of full-body shivers you felt a weight and a warmth caress your shoulders, bringing your attention back down to the earth. Looking to your side you saw white feathers wrapped around you. Saiki had given you his cape.

A nice, light warmth spread across your cheeks as he muttered. _“You’re going to catch a cold.”_

“I’ll be fine, Saiki.” You smiled, truly at a loss for words. “Thank you.”

You walked in a quaint silence. Each other’s footsteps providing the company you needed. As Saiki’s house came into view your paces slowed, making the last block take longer than the entire walk across town.

Stopping outside of the gate, you started pulling off the cape to give back to Saiki. He stopped you. _“Keep it. I can give it ba… I mean, I can get it back from you tomorrow.”_

You chuckled lightly. “You really do make a good king.”

Saiki blinked as he replied. _“As you made a good queen today.”_

“I wasn’t a queen.” You waved a hand in the air, brushing him off. “I was Hestia! A _goddess_ , mind you!”

You bared your teeth in a wide smile as you heard the slightest of audible chuckles from Saiki. _“Good Grief. A goddess, then.”_

For some reason, Saiki calling you a queen did nothing to your emotions. But a goddess? Your knees felt like jelly. Nobody had called you that before. Especially not with Teruhashi, a _literal_ goddess walking around and breathing the same air as you. How were you going to walk home now?!

“Alright, well…” You didn’t let your mind dwell too long on it, instead burying your hands in the cape and leaving Saiki on his doorstep. “See you tomorrow. Thanks for helping make this the best Halloween ever!”

_“I didn’t really do anything, but sure.”_

Sure, Saiki. Sure.

*air quote* _You didn’t do anything._ *air quote end*

\----------------------------------------------

_“Good grief. What should I do? The new transfer student can read people’s futures and see their auras. She apparently transferred here to find her mister right, who is probably me. If she sees me, she will figure that out and she will know that I’m a psychic too.”_ You raised your eyebrows at him, too tired in the beginning of the day to really care enough to question him. He got straight to the point. _“I didn’t want to resort to this, but I have no choice…”_

“You’re joking…”

Saiki had stopped you on your way to school today. He would not admit it, but his cross-armed and stiff posture confirmed just how uneasy he was. He didn’t say anything the day prior, but you weren’t surprised. He chose to stay home from school today to observe from a safe distance, sending you on your way with a special task. Saiki wanted you to get your fortune told by the new student, Auira Mikoto. 

And no, he wasn’t joking.

“Saiki didn’t come to school today?” Kaido walked up to your desk with Aren in tow.

The ex-delinquent glanced around the room. “It’s unusual for him to skip school. Well, I played hooky yesterday myself.” Uninterested in Saiki’s disappearance, he perked up with another topic. “Oh, I heard there’s a transfer student. Who is it? It’s weird timing in the semester to switch schools.”

You rolled your eyes, pointing to a crowd of people surrounding a tan-skinned, blonde girl with huge badonkers. “It’s her.”

“Wow!! She’s popular.” Aren stared wide-eyed at the newcomer.

Kaido rolled his eyes. “Of course she is. She’s a self-proclaimed psychic after all.”

“A psychic? You believe that?” Aren turned back to Kaido with a raised eyebrow. “What a joke! That’s hilarious!”

Kaido glared past him straight at Aiura. “Well, it is suspicious.”

“Why are transfer students all such freaks?” Aren commented with a huff. Suddenly, the person in question stood from her chair and stomped over to your group. She shoved her face up into Aren’s personal space and squinted her eyes at him.

You cowered behind Kaido, praying to something or other that she didn’t notice you. You didn’t care if Saiki wanted her to read your fortune; you didn’t want to know the future and you weren’t going to let her analyze you.

“What do you want!?” Aren defiantly stared back into the eyes of this foreigner.

She smirked at him. “Wow! You’re different from the others. You’ve seen your fair share of battles. Your aura is sharp.”

Aren blinked, taken aback by her words. “What?”

“You probably hurt everyone who gets too close, don’t you?” She chuckled, looking him up and down like she was mentally undressing him. I’m sure to Aren, it felt like she was mentally undressing him. “Your mullet’s aura is incredibly powerful.”

Your eyes widened, as did Aren’s. _How did she know he used to have a mullet?_

Saiki’s voice startled you out of your thoughts. _“She accurately read Kuboyasu’s true nature. She’s the real deal. This is really bad. If I can’t suppress her abilities, I can never go to school again. We should observe a little longer.”_

You rolled your eyes, taking a deep breath and sighing. _“I’m not observing.”_

Aren stuttered, shaking his arm as Aiura wrapped herself around it. “G-Get off me!”

“Call me Mikoto! I love aggressive men.” She batted her doe eyes up at him, clinging to him for dear life.

“I don’t care! Get off me!” Aren’s hand pushed at her forehead, hoping to slide her off his arm. “What are auras anyway?”

Aiura stuck to him like superglue. “You see them in anime all the time, right?” Aren’s strength reduced as she explained. “I can see the aura of anyone and read their emotions, personalities, and strengths. And your aura is huge and rugged!” You scoffed as Aren seemed to almost become smitten with her after that last statement. _What happened to ‘get off me’? You traitor._

“Hey! How about my aura?” Kaido jumped out of his seat, staring at Aiura with a goofy grin.

“Let’s see, your aura… yours is special too.” Aiura’s eyes strained like she was looking at something really small and insignificant. “It looks like a squirrel’s.”

Kaido fell to the floor with a thud. “You’re a fraud!!”

“Calm down, man.” Aren looked down on his friend. He not-so-subtly flexed for Aiura. _What the heck, man._ You couldn’t believe what she was doing to this class. 

“Well then, let’s take a look.” Airua detached from Aren, glancing around the room. She flipped her hair over her shoulder. She pointed at a spiky red-haired man with eyebrows for days. “His aura is literally on fire; that means he’s pure and passionate.” _Yup. That’s Hairo alright._ She spotted a tall, ball-chinned man playing with a hamster and turned to him. “And other there, that guy as a chaotic, yet strong aura. He’s kind, but stupid.” _She read Nendou like a book!_ She sighed, shaking her head. “Impressive, but they’re not the one I’m looking for.”

Just then the door to the classroom slid open and Aiura’s eyes went wide. She audibly gasped and got the shivers. “Wow, she’s something else! I’ve never seen an aura that huge!”

You bit at your fingernails in annoyance and glanced out the window. _Guess who?_

A beautiful voice filled the room, taking command over every man in there. Her beauty, not even including her aura, filled the room with a golden light. “Auira-san! I’m Teruhashi Kokomi. It’s nice to meet you!”

“What is she, an angel?” You let out a small groan. It wasn’t Teruhashi’s outward beauty that annoyed you – because that kept the attention off yourself. Instead it was her façade. Always pretending to be 'personality' perfect, too. “Though there are some black feathers mixed in… but it doesn’t bother me.” Even Aiura sees through her perfection. “ _Men in general must just be really dumb…”_ You thought to yourself.

Saiki’s voice echoed in your mind. _“Excuse me?”_ You slapped a hand over your mouth, as if to keep yourself quiet even though your physical voice never made a sound. You cracked the slightest of smiles as you replied with a cackle.

_“You heard me.”_

“Anyway, there are some amazing guys here, but none of them are my mister right.” Aiura sighed, sitting down in the nearest desk and propping her head up in her hands as she stared off into space.

Saiki groaned, connecting with you once again. _“It’s exhausting to use my clairvoyance and my telepathy at the same time. I’m going to have a coffee jelly and come back. I’ve changed my mind… don’t let her read your fortune.”_

You scrunched your eyebrows as you tried to yell at him telepathically. _“What? Why the change of plan?”_ Saiki had already logged off. _“Good grief, what do you want from me???”_

“What about (Y/N)?!” Kaido jumped back up on his feet, his eyes sparkling and his hands clapping together in a prayer motion.

Of _course_ , the SECOND Saiki leaves and has just told you to steer clear of Aiura, this IDIOT just has to call attention to you...

“Eh? Which one’s (Y/N)?” Aiura asks with an unamused expression. Kaido shoved his finger in your face making you flinch backwards and nearly fall out of your chair. Your heart rate increased and you felt your face start to pinken as Auria’s eyes fell on you, her head tilting just slightly as she pursed her lips. She got out of the desk, walked over to you and smiled. She held out a hand to you.

“I think I saw you yesterday. What’s your full name?”

You swallowed hard. _Saiki is gunna be so mad._ “Toritsuka (Y/N).” You took her hand in yours and shook it firmly.

Her nose scrunched a little as she recognized the last name. “Oh, so you’re related to that pervert from yesterday?” You dropped your head with a sigh and she laughed. “No worries! You don’t seem like him at all. Hey listen, you have a really interesting aura…” Your blood ran cold. _What’s that supposed to mean?!_ “I’d like to properly read your aura and fortune if that’s ok with you?”

Your mind went back to yesterday. She read Chiyo’s aura, found Mera’s long lost father, and hooked up two people who were apparently destined to be with each other. You went to school today intending to get a fortune, even if you didn’t want it… but now that Saiki told you not to…

You’ll admit. You were curious.

Shrugging, you agreed. “Sure. I’m not really sure I believe in this kind of stuff anyway…”

Before you could change your mind she sat in the desk ahead of you and straddled the chair. She faced you with the backs of her hands laying on the surface of your desk, palms up. She stared at you intently like you were a clue to a treasure map and she was going to decipher it. You hesitantly placed your hands in hers, and she looked over your hands and studied your face. And aura, probably.

“It’s weird. I’ve never seen anything like this before, either. It’s almost like you’re from another dimension entirely.” You avoided eye contact, hoping you weren’t as easy to read as the other people in the class. “Your aura is wispy, kind of like watercolor. It’s very bright, but akin to a small flame that is the only remnant of a forest fire.” Pausing for a moment, she pulled out a notebook and one of those pens that had five colors in one. She used a rubber band to tie the levers down so each of the pens were out at the same time. Closing her eyes she scribbled on a page, making a rainbow of nonsense over the white paper. “You had a rough childhood. I’m surprised you had the strength to persevere. Something happened when you came to this school though. Am I right?”

Kaido and Aren exchanged a glance as they saw shimmery tears fall like diamonds from your cheeks and land on the desk. You sniffed, using the back of your hands to wipe your face. “Yeah. Yeah, actually you are.” You confirmed with a whisper. You didn’t like to think about life before PK Academy. Life before Reita and Nendou and Kairo and Saiki.

Kaido's voice called out to you quietly, like a winter breeze blowing light snowflakes across the road. "I didn't know you suffered so muhc, (Y/N)..."

You turned your head to the side. Saiki must still be treating himself to coffee jelly because he wasn’t commenting on this event. Aiura asked if she could keep going. You nodded, internally hoping Saiki wouldn’t tune in for anything important. What did you want to hide from him, exactly? You weren’t sure that you knew the answer to that.

Auria suddenly gasped as she pulled out her crystal ball, gazing into it. “I have no explanation for this but… it seems that your mister-right has the exact same aura as mine!!”

Your stomach dropped. “Ex-excuse me?”

“Maybe… I could be reading this wrong, but I swore I looked into my fortune for who my mister-right was going to be, and when I just looked into your future I see the exact same aura!”

Aren put a hand on his chin. “Maybe you two are destined to be love rivals?”

Your brother, who had been peeking into the room unseen until now, called out to you. “Or you’re part of a harem…” He winked just before Aiura threw a book at his face, knocking him out of the room.

You shook your head. “You mean… pink hair, average height, initials S.K.?”

Aiura’s eyes went wide. “Yes!” She jumped out of her chair. “Don’t tell me you know him?!”

You waved your hands in front of your face. “Eh, I mean… maybe? But that can’t be right I mean, we’re just friends…” Suddenly the thought of Saiki cropped up into your mind and your heart skipped a beat. Your hands got clammy and you felt a little lightheaded _. We are just friends, right?_

Aiura sighed deeply, her shoulders and her head drooping. “Maybe mum was right. Fortune-telllers can’t read their own fortunes as easily as others.” You watched her curiously as she continued peeking into her crystal ball. “Your future is clearer than most. I must have my own fortune wrong, because this guy is definitely yours.” She cried out. “Man! His aura was enormous too! I’m so jealous!”

Kaido sulked off, gripping at his hand and probably thinking of ways to destroy this “mister right” of mine so that he could steal me away. Luckily he was too dumb to figure out who S.K. was.

Aren pushed his glasses up on his nose. “Fortunes are usually vague. This is just a theory, but maybe instead of your soulmate, your fortunes have read out ‘the most important male influence on your life’, which could very well be the same person.”

Auria’s eyebrows knitted deep in thought. She hummed as she contemplated the idea. “Maybe… I’m going to have to do some research now!”

Your legs were bouncing from anxiety. Whether Aren or Aiura were right, it didn’t change the fact that now you were looking at your feelings for Saiki in a different light. The countless nights spent at his house, the countless gifts and favors you do for him without a care in the world, the silence shared over coffee jelly, the way he replied to you when he didn’t reply to anyone else. The way he called you a queen at Halloween... did he mean to call you _his_ queen? Is that what he meant???

_Could this be more than a friendship?_

As the bell rang for class to go back into session you slapped your cheeks. The room filled with students coming back from neighboring classes and the sounds of chairs scooting across the floor. You couldn’t let Aiura’s fortune get to you. You didn’t believe in this stuff anyway, remember?! Besides, things were going great just as friends between you and Saiki…

_“Anything interesting happen?”_

“GYAH!” You jumped with an audible screech, all heads in the classroom including the teachers turned towards you. You let out a nervous chuckle, slapping at and then scratching an invisible spot on your back. “Sorry, I think something bit me…”

You took a deep breath. Holding it in for as long as you could before exhaling slowly.

This could change _everything_.

\-----------------------------------------------------

“Another transfer student is coming today!”

“He is the son of the Saiko group.”

Your inner voice mimicked Saiki’s as you groaned. _Good grief. Another transfer?_

“The Saiko group is a massive corporation only rivaled by the Nakagawa Group…”

You stared out the window and ignored your fellow students. You couldn’t care less about this new, apparently rich transfer student. You already knew why he was here, and it didn’t surprise you either. You had heard rumors thanks to Reita... he sure got a lot of gossip at the temple.

As the teacher came in and introduced the new transfer, they laid out a red carpet for his introduction and he had a pile of the biggest paper bills in his hand. Students stared at him as if diamonds were raining down around him. 

“He is obviously rich!!” The class gasped.

Oh, neat. How did he manage to actually make diamonds rain down around him? No matter. You were going to take a nap.

“I am Saiko Metori. Let me warn you. I have no intention of mingling with you peons. Do not speak to me.”

You laid your head down as this new asshole paid off one of the students to take his seat. You grumbled, earning a curious look from Saiki. Remember when you tried to switch seats when you joined the class? Remember how the teacher wouldn’t let you? Yeah. You were a little salty about it.

Saiki’s voice echoed in your mind. _“Hey, we’re mainly friends because you got that seat.”_

You rolled your eyes and laid your head down on the desk. _“Whatever.”_

Aren’s low gravelly voice caught your attention. He was calling out the new kid. “Why did you transfer here?”

It was a shame that Metori had to be such a pain. His forest green eyes were dazzling. But they lacked a kindness and were filled with loneliness and hatred. But, you didn’t have time to unpack all that right now. You had stayed up all night playing the last chapter of your favorite video game to de-stress and go camp on denial-island over Aiura's fortune. The game was the sequel to a famous open-world cowboy roleplay, and the ending left you in tears. Understandably, you didn’t get any sleep. Neither did Reita, for he was forced to hear your sobs all morning. He skipped school today to catch up on sleep. Oh, right. You can’t forget to grab his homework before going home today.

“I usually wouldn’t step foot in a filthy school like this one without any good reason.” Metori turned to the seat next to his and his eyes sparkled falsely. You peeked from over your arm to see him grab Teruhashi’s hands, pulling her face close to his. “You are the reason, Teruhashi Kokomi. I saw you on the street before and did some research.” 

_Hella creepy._

“I like you. Be my girl.”

You winced as the entire room erupted in shocked screams. You put in your earbuds and slid off into sleep, drowning out the commotion to one of your favorite bands. Don’t worry, you didn’t miss anything while you were asleep. The teacher was paid off to let class be a study hall until lunch so that Metori could woo Teruhashi.

Saiki did you the favor of waking you up when it was lunch time. He was displeased when you couldn’t have lunch at your usual hideout because you realized then that you forgot to pack one. Therefore you, Saiki, Aren, and Kaido all went to the cafeteria for hot lunch today.

“There are already rumors.” Kaido whispered, picking at his rice.

Aren looked like he was ready to explode. You crunched down on an eggroll as he scoffed. “I can’t stand the new student acting like a big shot. I’ll strangle him.”

“Calm down. He lives in a different world from us.” Kaido reasoned. “He lives in the fictional world of comics. He even has a butler and bodyguards. Just leave him alone.”

You hardly paid any attention to the conversation, simply agreeing with Aren as he fumed. “He may live in a different world, but he’s here now. I’ll strangle him.”

“But he has bodyguards!”

“I’ll strangle the bodyguards too.”

“But what if his parents appear?!”

“I’ll have to strangle them too.”

_“That’s too much strangling.”_ Saiki interjected, causing you to let out a quick huff of a chuckle and nearly choking on some rice.

“What are you peons talking about?” In the blink of an eye the rich boy with the gorgeous green eyes had walked up to your table. “I have no interest in your poor stories.” His eyes landed on you and settled there for a moment, making the hair on the back of your neck stand up. You held his gaze defiantly, making Kaido shiver. “Have you seen Kokomi?”

“Kokomi?” Aren challenged. “Let me tell you one thing, Teruhashi has a huge fan base. They will kill you…”

You rolled your eyes as some random group of kids ran up to them. “Mr. Saiko! Deepest apologies, we could not find Teruhashi. She may be hiding in the bathroom.”

The mention of the bathroom brought your attention to your bladder. Great, now you needed to use the bathroom. You zoned out as Aren and Saiko started throwing fists and causing a huge commotion in the cafeteria. The only reason you weren’t coated in food and bludgeoned to death by a chair was because Saiki cast a protective barrier around the two of you until you finished your food.

By the time you came back to reality the cafeteria was in shambles and most of the students were gone. Saiki still sat in the chair next to you, arms crossed and eyebrows furrowed deep in thought. You took a deep breath and sighed. “I guess I’d better go to the bathroom before the next class starts. Maybe I’ll warn Teruhashi this creep is searching for her while I’m in there.”

Saiki seemed relieved by your last statement. You rolled your eyes. _The things I do for these people…_

Stuffing the last bite of your food into your mouth you abandoned Saiki and made your way to the bathroom. The halls were surprisingly quiet as students filed into their rooms and the principal’s office. You kicked around scraps of food on the hallway floor as you walked. “This is going to be one hell of a mess to clean…”

You were so focused on your feet that you didn’t even notice the sign on your regular bathroom change from female to male. Opening the door you came face to face with the back of a grey-haired head and heard a familiar beautiful voice echo off the tiles.

“I love Saiki!”

_Uh-oh._

You froze. A wild Teruhashi poked her head out from behind your view of the back of Metori’s head. You swallowed hard, confused by what you just heard as well as the sight of the bathroom now being filled with urinals. When did they switch the genders?!

You jumped a little when Saiki’s voice entered your mind. _“What happened?”_

Gritting your teeth, you mentally replied. _“I walked into something I shouldn’t have.”_

_“You sound like you just witnessed a murder.”_

You did walk in on a murder. Your own.

Teruhashi’s voice filled the room before you could come up with a response.

“T-Toritsuka (Y/n)?!” Teruhashi’s hands flew to her mouth as she gasped. Her face flushed red and your heart felt like it was going to beat out of your chest.

Metori huffed as he placed a hand on his hip. “You’re choosing this sullen peon’s friend over me?”

Teruhashi knew you had heard her. Your face said it all. She dropped her shoulders, avoiding both yours and Metori’s stares. “Well, er, yes…”

Your heart wouldn’t stop racing. You almost felt sick to your stomach from anxiety. Trying to avoid the situation and any confrontation you began backing up, planning to leave the bathroom and find, well, another bathroom. You still had to pee… and now maybe hurl. “So your brain is still that of a poor farm girl. Whatever. There are plenty of other women.”

Just as you were about to make your quiet escape Metori took the door from you. “You will do just as nicely. You aren’t nearly as perfect or refined but your beauty still rivals hers. My money will fix you right up.”

You tapped a finger on your chest, glancing behind you to see if there was anyone else he could be referring to. Unfortunately, there wasn’t. The walls started closing in on you. Now you were really going to throw up. You only came in here to pee and maybe see if Teruhashi was okay and instead you got two love confessions: one for your best friend and one for you! This was pure hell. These last few weeks had been hell. Wasn’t anxiety fun?

“Did you hear me? I want to make you my wife, Toritsuka (Y/n).” You glanced back at Teruhashi for help only to see her shy blush replaced with a furious beet-red color. 

“WHAT?!” Teruhashi yelped. “You can’t just get over me that fast!!”

You tried to stand tall and object, but you ended up stuttering. “A-a-are you kidding? You just, you just called me a peon!” 

He asked again.

“I can change that. Your beauty is worth the investment. If I can’t have Teruhashi than I want you, Toritsuka.”

An anxious chuckle left your lips as you backed out into the hallway. You waved your hands in front of your face. “Seriously, why does everyone keep asking me out!?”

Metori looked down at you with a sly smile. “Do you not recognize your own beauty?” His smile faltered as his mind ran back to Teruhashi. “Don’t tell me that you, too, already love someone?” Suddenly he turned towards the sound of an approaching set of footsteps and grimaced.

Whipping your head around your eyes met Saiki’s. Of all the people that had to walk into this conversation, it just _had_ to be Saiki. He had a deadpanned look of confusion written all over his face. Oh yeah, you never answered him earlier. He probably came to check up on you. Oops.

For some reason, seeing Saiki after knowing the true extent of Teruhashi’s feelings for him left you feeling… weird. Really weird. And then Metori’s question… do… do you like Saiki too? You've been avoiding that question for almost a month now. And to ask that in front of him… Damn that Aiura! Her words had gotten into your head. Well, and Saiki’s brother… and his mom... and… good grief. You became conscious of your flustered, probably bright red face and felt your soul leave your body for a second. You couldn’t like Saiki; he was your best friend!

Suddenly your stomach convulsed. You slapped a hand to your mouth as you swallowed back a gag. Anxiety had finally gotten the better of you.

You could almost imagine the look on Saiki’s face when Metori called after you again. “Toritsuka (Y/N)! You never answered my marriage proposal!”

You bolted away from the ultimate stressors of the day. Lack of sleep triggered anxiety to begin with, let alone a new student and two love confessions that left you feeling confused, sad, angry, and heartbroken all at the same time. Flying down the hallway, you practically jumped down a flight of stairs and twisted your ankle, ignoring the searing pain as you made it to the nearest _women’s_ bathroom just in time to lose your lunch. 

After your stomach had settled and you finally got the chance to relieve yourself, you stayed locked up in the bathroom until the bell rang indicating the end of the school day. Saiki had tried communicating with you a few times, but you ignored him. He probably couldn’t read your thoughts either because they were whirling so fast that you may as well have been thinking of nothing at all.

You numbly listened for a lack of footsteps through the halls before sneaking your way out of the building. You were worried someone was going to be waiting for you at your shoe locker, and rightfully so. To your surprise though, it wasn’t Saiki or Teruhashi or even Metori. It was Kaido.

His eyes widened as they landed on your exhausted and limping figure. “Woah, (Y-Y/N)-chan, are you alright? Did the Dark Reunion target you!” He dramatically threw his hands into the air. “I knew you would be put in harm’s way by associating yourself with me! I’m so sorry!”

Even after everything that happened today, Kaido put a smile back on your face. You couldn’t help but laugh at the idiot. If only he knew what you went through today. “Goodness, Kaido, no. It wasn’t the Dark Reunion.” He breathed a deep sigh of relief. “I sprained my ankle jumping down the stairs.”

His hands snapped to his hips as he looked down at you with a pout. “(Y/n)! You could have seriously hurt yourself!”

You waved away his comment, wincing as you exchanged your shoes. “I’ll be fine. It isn’t even that bad.”

Kaido’s face suddenly went red. You pretended not to notice as you grabbed your bag and headed for the door. The pale-blue haired boy followed. “W-w-well, at least let me walk you home! You can, you can lean on my s-shoulder if you want!”

You hesitantly accepted the offer, really just using him for stability than an actual brace for you knew if you leaned on him with all your weight you would knock him over like a feather. The poor man had absolutely no strength in him at all. 

As you neared the temple you glanced at your phone to check the time. You had waited almost an hour after school was out for the day before leaving the bathroom. Kaido must have wanted something to wait for you that long. “Say, why were you waiting for me after school? Did you need something in particular?”

Kaido scratched the back of his head as he chuckled nervously. “We-we-we-well… act-t-t-t-ually yes, yes I did.” You nodded slowly, trying to get him to keep talking. You felt your stomach turning again, worried he was also going to finally confess his not-so-hidden love for you. On a normal day, you could have handled it. But today was no normal day.

After a few nervous gulps of air Kaido shrugged his shoulders. “Well, it’s not terribly important. I just heard about this amusement park coming into town. It’s during the last day of summer vacation, so it’s a ways off yet, but tickets are on discount until the end of the week for early-bird sales so, if you would be interested…”

“An amusement park?!” You interrupted Kaido with your excitement. That would be the perfect opportunity to get Saiki’s face and your confused feelings off your mind. “That sounds like a great idea! Maybe we could invite Nendou and Aren too, get them out of the house for once!”

“Uh…” Kaido hesitated before forcing a big smile. “Yeah! If you want them to come, sure! I’ll ask them.” 

You didn’t hear the sound of his heart shattering into a million pieces.

With your mind finally off Saiki, you dreamed about the cotton candy and funnel cakes. You had almost forgotten their flavors and textures by now… it had been so long since you had some decent fun. Maybe they would even have a roller coaster?! You loved roller coasters, even if you could only handle one or two rides before being overcome with motion sickness. You were truly looking forward to this “date” that you refused to call as such.

If only you knew who you would run into while you were there.

Oh, whoops.

You forgot Reita's homework.

\----------------------------------

“Let’s go take a photo together, (Y/N)!”

You stuffed a wad of cotton candy into your mouth. The amusement park was in town, it was the last day of summer vacation, Kaido was being a complete best friend and gentleman and you were having a blast so far on this “not-date.” Most importantly, you had managed to keep the thought of a certain Saiki out of your mind almost the entire time!

“Sure! Let’s do it!”

Until now.

As you approached the photo booths your eyes caught the glimpse of a familiar pink color. All summer you had been trying to get over your crush on Saiki and return to being a best friend background character. Yet as your heart threatened to pound out of your chest as you neared the psychic, you knew you had utterly failed. Sighing a prayer to yourself, you called out and faced your fear. “Saiki!!”

His head whipped around to greet you with a slight smile. Your face flushed and a wide grin graced your facial features. It felt like you had gone an eternity without seeing him. Saiki’s summer had been booked before it even began, and you felt a little bad for ignoring him this whole time.

Then your heart dropped. At a glance, you thought he was alone with Teruhashi. To your quick relief, Yuuta bounced at her side. _Oh, I get it. She roped him into coming so he took Yuuta as a distraction!_

“Oh, Toritsuka and Kaido! How lovely to run into you!” You bowed as Teruhashi greeted you, even though you didn’t believe her kindness for a second.

“Likewise! Are you guy’s enjoying the park?”

“Very much!”

Saiki’s slight sigh and an eyeroll told you all you needed to know about how she really felt.

“So,” Teruhashi smirked at you. “are you two on a date?”

You glanced at Saiki, shaking your head with an anime sweat-drop. You replied quickly, almost stumbling over your own words. “N-Nah. We invited Riki and Aren but they wouldn’t make it, so it’s just us!” You felt bad, truly. You knew Kaido wanted to make the day into a proper date, but you had just wanted the distraction, not the affection. You hoped he understood.

“Oh, well you two should make it into one! You’d be cute together.” Teruhashi pushed the subject, making your face flush bright red. You waved your hands, attempting to clear any misunderstanding. You saw Saiki tense a little at the statement. Was he upset at Teruhashi, or you? God you hoped it wasn’t you.

You could almost feel the glare piercing into your side as Teruhashi looked down on you. “Well, I only say that because I’m here on a date with Saiki-kun!”

Saiki’s voice echoed in your mind as he scoffed. _“It’s definitely not a date.”_

He glanced to the side with a light dusting of pink on his cheeks. You sighed, relieved that he did not consider it a date but confused about why we would be so embarrassed if it wasn’t…

Kaido broke your thoughts as he pointed to the kid. “But, why did you bring Yuuta then?”

You shook your head, trying to erase the negative, self-depreciating thoughts from your mind. That’s right… if it had been a proper date, Saiki would never have invited Yuuta!

Teruhashi countered. “Well then how about we switch! (Y/N) can hang out with Saiki for a while, and you and I can hang out, Kaido-kun!” You nearly died on the inside. You couldn’t have asked for a better plan. You knew she was suggesting it to get you stuck with Yuuta as well as try to inflict jealousy in you and Saiki, but it wasn’t going to work that way. Glancing over to Kaido though, your heart ached for the man you considered a good friend. He looked conflicted about the situation. You glanced at the (favorite animal) stuffed toy he had won for you that he held in his hand. It would be rude to split now.

“Nonsense! Let’s just all hang out together! Besides, if we split up, who would watch Yuuta? It wouldn’t be fair.” You beamed at Teruhashi, ruining whatever her plan was. You anxiously stuffed another wad of cotton candy into your mouth.

You half-listened as Teruhashi and Kaido started coming up with a list of ideas on what we could all do together. You made eye contact with Saiki and winked. _“I can find a way to save you from Teruhashi if you’d like.”_

You nearly choked on your own spit when he answered back immediately. _“Please do.”_

The five of you went into a maze of mirrors first. You thought it would be a good chance to split Teruhashi from Saiki, but you got so invested in the task that you lost sight of him and ended up completing the maze first. What can you say, you like mazes. However, you did do one thing right… apparently by coming together as a group it made Teruhashi look more single than when she was with just Saiki and Yuuta, so men and boys were starting to fawn over her again. Her "perfect personality" made it impossible for her to ignore them or be rude, so that opened your chances of running off with Saiki that much greater. _What I wouldn’t give to have a cliché moment with him on the ferris wheel or something…_ you contemplated. You jumped, catching yourself thinking things like that without your canceller on was dangerous! Glancing over to Saiki, it seemed he couldn’t hear you due to the high traffic of the park. _Thank goodness…_

Canceller? What canceller? Oh yeah, during summer vacation you had gotten a call from Kusuke. He wanted to ask you out again. Instead of just directly saying no, you agreed to one lunch together if he made you one of those telepathy cancellers. Needless to say, he held up his end of the bargain. You wore it at night when you would most often find yourself daydreaming, and thinking, just in case Saiki would try to tune in to the (Y/N) station for whatever reason…

But that doesn’t matter! So you were a little paranoid, big deal. Back to carnival fun.

You let out some frustration on some rigged carnival games. You didn’t win anything, but it was still fun to try. After hitting all the games on the street you ended up at a balloon target game and challenged Teruhashi. “Whoever gets the most points wins!” You cackled internally. Of course she would accept the challenge. What she didn’t know is that you practiced darts at home… and would beat her ass.

“Sure, I’ll play! Whoever loses has to buy the winner an ice cream!” You let Teruhashi go first, a crowd of men hovering over her as she went. Even though she had admittedly never played before, all five of her darts landed on the color balloons worth the most points and scored a “perfect” 100.

You rolled your eyes, stepping up to the plate. You felt Saiki’s eyes on you. With a cunning smirk on your face, you turned to nod at him. You didn’t know if he could hear you, but you tried to tell him not to help you. He wanted to see Teruhashi get beat just as bad as you did, but you also wanted to win it fair and square. It seems he got the message.

Throwing the dart up more than out, as it came plummeting down back to the earth it took out an entire row of balloons. You heard gasps from Teruhashi’s harem as they saw you play. They thought it was a fluke, understandably, but when your last four darts did the same and tallied up a total of over 400 points, they were swarming around you for tips and tricks so they could win, too. You smiled at Saiki who was visibly pleased by your success, and Teruhashi whose eyes screamed frustration.

“Great job, Toritsuka!” Teruhashi came up to you with a kind smile. “You will have to teach me your trick someday! What’s your favorite ice cream? We will go get snacks next. My treat, like I promised!” The gesture made the boys fawn over her again, which was fine by you. The less attention, the better.

You got a (favorite flavor) ice cream cone and a funnel cake that Kaido desperately tried to buy for you. You insisted on buying your own expensive carnival treats, unless you won it fair and square like in Teruhashi’s case. You also already felt guilty that Kaido bought you cotton candy and that you wouldn’t recognize the outing as a date like he hoped.

You laughed to yourself when Teruhashi tried to passively ask Saiki to buy her a treat, only to have him take the advice and buy said treat for Yuuta. While he was busy, you saw a food stand that was selling a molten coffee cake with buttercream icing and an ice cream scoop on top! You ordered it in a neat little box, hiding it behind your back until you approached the bench you all decided to sit and eat at.

“Surprise!” You sat the box down in front of Saiki. He looked up at you, puzzled and curious. “It was an impulse buy. I know you’ll like it!”

Kaido stared jealously at Saiki as he opened the box. Saiki’s eyes went wide and even sparkled at the treat. You handed him a fork. “You deserve this, after having such a busy summer!”

It wasn’t long before a swarm of Teruhashi admirers, including one who suspiciously looked like her brother, and _your_ brother for that matter, came up to the table and offered food and prize to the poor, beautiful girl. Saiki, Kaido, Yuuta, and yourself ended up moving tables to make room for the flock of boys.

You sat next to Saiki, your entire body heating up as his knee briefly knocked with yours under the table. The two of you sat in silence eating your snacks, listening to Kaido and Yuuta talk about superheroes and ‘dark reunions’. You shook your head at Kaido. He was sweet, but too child-minded to be boyfriend material. Suddenly an advertisement from earlier flashed across your mind, and you nearly gasped at the brilliance.

Tapping on Saiki’s shoulder to get his attention, you turned to Kaido. “Hey, I heard they are having a Cyborg Cider Remune meet and greet by the ferris wheel in about an hour! There will be other superheroes and enemies there too! I’m not really interested, so why don’t you two go check it out?”

The two children finished their food, threw away the garbage and thanked you as they ran off. Now you just hoped they didn’t lose each other or cause a scene. Your cheeks hurt from the wide smile you beamed at Saiki, wiping your hands free of powder from the last of your funnel cake. He had already finished his cake, so you jumped up off the bench and grabbed his hand. “Teruhashi’s busy… let’s check out the haunted house!”

Running and leading the way, you were glad to be dragging Saiki along behind you so he coulsn’t see your face. It was bright red and your heart was racing as you became self-conscious about how your hand was around his. You would die if he questioned you about it. Thankfully, he didn’t.

You released his hand once you reached the line for the haunted house. You couldn’t go through the haunted house with Yuuta in fear of scarring him for life. Most of the time they were awful anyway, but everything is scarier when you’re little. Not to mention the sun had just set, it was getting darker by the minute and the park was beginning to light up in LEDs.

You started jumping in place with excitement. You hadn’t gotten to go into a haunted house in forever! You felt eyes on you, turning to see Saiki staring. Of course, just as your blush had gone away, there it was again. “Saiki-kun, stop staring.” You muttered, elbowing him playfully. You chuckled as he glanced away, pouting ever so slightly. “Oh, you’re scared of the haunted house. Don’t worry, they usually suck. I like to go in them for a good laugh!”

_“I am not scared…”_

You certainly had a soft spot for the psychic. You could only hope he couldn’t hear your thoughts right now, because they were running wild with compliments about how adorable he was. Simply cute. Downright squishable. The colorful lights from a nearby food stand bounced off his hair and glasses and made him look almost ethereal.

You decided right then and there to shoot a shot. You slinked your arms around Saiki and squeezed him tight in a hug. He questioned you in a quiet voice that made your heart jump _. “What are you doing?”_

“Hugging you, idiot!” You quickly snapped before pausing, taking a deep breath and appreciating his scent. Did he always smell this good? Your voice almost faltered, your mind whirling with thoughts. “I haven’t seen my best friend in a month. I missed you, okay?”

You weren’t lying. Not entirely. Just telling the truth a little to the left of how you really felt.

You were just about to let go when you felt Saiki reciprocate the gesture. It wasn’t like the last time in London when he patted you on the back and sent you on your way. He actually held you close, and you could almost feel his smile against your head. 

_“I guess I missed you too.”_

Even though the moment lasted about a minute, it felt like it was over in the blink of an eye. You were thankful for the darkening surroundings so that when you pulled away and patted Saiki on the back, he couldn’t see your red face. Silence enveloped you two, comforting rather than awkward, as you waited in line for the haunted house.

It wasn’t much, but you got jumpscared by a werewolf who was hiding right behind the first entrance of the haunted house. You glared at Saiki’s smirk before bursting out laughing, having made it a whopping two seconds before screaming. The rest of the haunted house was terrible, but you still lived for the atmosphere. The best part was a pitch black, tight corridor maze. You had to use your hands to navigate through the space, and your heart was racing as you were expecting your hands to come into contact with a face or something. It was disappointing when nothing happened. All that hype for nothing! At least you accidentally got to feel Saiki’s abs through his shirt when you made a quick turnaround. Again, you were glad he couldn’t see your face. Or the nosebleed. Does he work out?

True to a real horror story however, as you took one step out of the haunted house your eyes landed on Teruhashi. How was she everywhere and anywhere?! Just like Freddy Kreuger. Saiki pushed you into a bush, ducking to avoid her from spotting you. The thrill of ‘being chased’ was giving you the same vibes as when you played Slenderman for the first time, and it was _amazing_. The adrenaline was running high today and you weren’t sure how much more you could take before exploding.

Just when you were about to get the courage to leave the sanctuary of the foliage, men passed by asking if anyone had seen two people with yourself and Saiki’s descriptions. Teruhashi was using her fanbase to her advantage… this made things difficult. While you glanced around to look for an escape, Saiki pulled off a paper-thin glove from his hand. You eyed him curiously as he held out his hand towards you. You raised an eyebrow, unsure of what he was suggesting.

He simply blinked at you and said, _“Take my hand.”_

Heart racing and adrenaline pumping, you shakily and excitedly lay your palm in his. After a few seconds, your vision changed slightly, and you noticed you were see-through.

“Are… are we invisible now?!” 

Saiki nodded, putting a finger to his lips. _“They can still hear us though.”_

_“Oops!”_ Now that he was sharing his powers, he would also be able to hear your thoughts directly. That helps a little. Didn’t he mention he could also see someone’s memories this way? It’s probably better if you just don’t think about it.

As you stalked around looking for things to do, you accidentally found yourself lost in your thoughts again. _“If the fog rolls in I’m out. I don’t want to get killed by Pyramid head today. Lord, I’m so nervous. What if we get caught? This is so much fun! Oh man, I hope my hand isn’t sweaty.”_

Saiki rolled his eyes at that last statement. _“It’s not.”_

You jumped, forgetting he could hear you as long as you were in contact. If your hand wasn’t sweaty before… it was now.

The two of you carefully wound your way around the outskirts of the amusement park to avoid accidentally bumping into anyone and undoing Saiki’s invisibility power. Looking around, you had already hit most of the park’s amenities earlier in the day with Kaido. There was one last thing you really wanted to do. _“I think the only thing left is the roller coaster, how about you?”_

Saiki shrugged, leading the way towards the monstrous ride. He didn’t seem excited about the prospect of getting on a roller coaster, but it made you light up like a Christmas tree when you saw it. Stepping behind a tree quick, Saiki released his invisibility and put his glove back on. Your hand felt cold without his.

The line went fast and the ride was amazing.

You found Kaido and Yuuta ‘slaying dragons’ on an arcade game, and not long after Teruhashi’s minions found you and led her straight to you. 

Even with Teruhashi back in the group and the annoying banter of the crowd keeping Saiki from communitating with you telepathically, you saw the corners of Saiki’s mouth turned upwards ever so slightly. Your heart felt like it grew three sizes at the sight. If Saiki had the guts to say it, you know he would say that he had enjoyed the night as much as you had. From the smiles on Kaido, Teruhashi, and Yuuta’s faces as well, it seemed that the day turned out to be quite the success. Even if it didn’t exactly turn out like anyone hoped.

You stealthily took out your phone. You fell back a few steps, pulling up the camera and snapping a picture of the back of their heads, illuminated by the park lights. You never wanted to forget this day. After all, it was the day you finally came to terms with your feelings. No matter how hard you tried to deny it…

_You were in love with Saiki._

Oh well.

Sometimes the best things in life just aren’t planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh gosh! This was so much fun to write! Its a super long chapter summing up Reader-chan's transition from "friend" to "crush" to "love"! Also a bonus fluffy Halloween section to get everyone in the Halloween spirit!!!
> 
> My plan is to have each character's story wrap up in 5 parts. That means, unfortunately, the next part will be the last of Saiki... for now. But, since I had just so many ideas for Reader and Saiki, it will also be incredibly long! Rivaling this one, if not ending up longer! I have a class final next week so I probably won't get any writing done, but I won't be gone for long. Hold on tight, the next part will be worth the wait!
> 
> Next time: Touma Akechi finally arrives, Shipwrecked with Saiki, The world is going to end, and more!


	6. Saiki Kusuo - Part 5-1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You finally tell Saiki your secret, and he tells you his...

You were surprised, really. Things had been going pretty business-as-usual since you admitted to yourself your feelings towards Saiki. Now that you weren’t in denial anymore, you didn’t even give it much thought. Sometimes he would flash you his rare half-smile or the light would hit his pink hair just right and send your heart racing at a million miles an hour again, but in general you were handling it pretty well.

It helps when the idiots keep you busy, though.

“Oh, Eibo!” Your ten-minute break from classes had barely begun and excitement was filling the room. You turned your head towards the commotion to see Nendou, Kaido, and Aren standing around Saiki’s desk. 

“You want to go on a trip somewhere tomorrow?” Kaido asked, turning to Aren.

The ex-delinquent smiled, shrugging his shoulders as he answered. “I made plans already, but never mind. Let’s take a long bike trip.”

Saiki stared off into the distance, unamused and uncaring as his friends bickered. _“Really…”_

“I have a tent at my house, so we can camp out somewhere along the way! Bring a sleeping bag!” Kaido added as if going out for camping was some casual, every-other weekend activity that he participated in. Which, knowing him, he probably did. You didn’t even own a sleeping bag, and you were confident that Saiki didn’t either. Not that it would be hard for him to just teleport and get one, or value exchange for one.

_“Oh…”_ Saiki’s lackluster responses made you grin.

“Sounds fun!” Nendou declared before turning towards you. “You should come too, pal #2!”

Kaido’s eyes sparkled. “You could ride with me on my bike since you don’t have one!!”

“I’ll pass.” You answer quickly without further explanation. Saiki nods, declining the request right after you. Before Nendou and Kaido can whine and ask you a million questions about why you didn’t want to go on a motorcycle camping trip in the middle of a hot and buggy summer, Seiko’s sultry chuckle echoed from behind them.

Kaido whipped his head around to glare at the rich boy. “What?”

“Nothing, sorry.” He sets his head in his hand as his elbow props it up. “I was just thinking what a wretched vacation that would be. It’s just sad.”

“Don’t laugh if it’s sad!” Kaido clenched his fists, ready to pummel him.

“Well, what are you going to do?” Aren prods. “What’s your plan for tomorrow?”

“Oh, me? Well…” Oh great. Now you have to hear about his overabundance of wealth for the third time today. “Maybe I’ll go on a cruise on the Pacific on my family’s ship. Do some fishing and reading on the deck until I get to my destination. My family owns an uninhabited island. Then I’ll enjoy a drive in my family’s convertible. Then, I’ll eat French food while watching the sea and the stars at my villa.”

“That’s about it.” Saiko finishes with a smug grin.

 _“You own too much.”_ Saiki comments on the side.

“Well, your boat is going to sink. That’s right! You’ll sink and be eaten by a shark!” Aren’s face twists into a creepy grin as he tries to mentally curse the boy.

_“What a poor imagination.”_ You comment in your thoughts, receiving a grunt of agreement from Saiki.

“Wow, you have a ship? We want to go too!” Nendou’s eyes widen as he turns to Saiko with a classic, idiotic smile.

“Hey!” Kaido and Aren yell at the same time. “Don’t say that!”

“If you say that, we lose! You baka!” Aren hissed from between clenched teeth.

Saiko paused for a moment, humming to himself as if deep in thought. “Well, I guess you guys can come too.” Nendou, Aren, and Kaido all jump up with sparkles surrounding their figures, their minds running wild about the fun weekend ahead of them.

You turn to the three boys with a smirk playing on your lips. “You’re swayed so easily. I’m disappointed in you.” Kaido pouts, scratching the back of his head in shame.

“But on one condition.” Seiko adds. “You have to bring Kokomi Teruhashi. And you too, of course, Toritsuka (Y/N).” You didn’t even have to look in his direction to feel his eyes on you. “If you three peons can get those two women to come, you can bring whoever you want.”

“I’m right here you know. Ask me yourself.” You furrow your eyebrows and glare at the chalkboard ahead of you.

Nendou turns to you with pleading eyes. “Yo, (Y/N). You did say you were going to hang out with me this weekend. You’ve been so busy the last couple weeks that you keep passing up ramen after school!”

You turn your lip up in deliberation. _I mean, that really has more to do with needing my money for things other than food, but I have been keeping myself busy…_ “Yeah, but I technically agreed to an afternoon, not a weekend. I think Reita would burn down the temple if I were gone for longer than that anyway.” _I also had plans to maybe ruin Saiki’s weekend with a surprise coffee jelly restock…_

_“Thanks for the sentiment, but it looks like we are not going to find a way out of this.”_ Saiki warned just before the very Toritsuka you had been talking about burst into your classroom.

“(Y/N)! (Y/N)! Hairo invited me to a workout camp this weekend. He said there are TONS of hot chicks there so of course I’m going! I wanted to let you know before I forgot. Love you, bye!” Just as soon as he appeared, he was gone.

Nendou grunted happily. “Oh! Guess you can go now, pal #2!”

You were crying on the inside. You would rather stay at home playing video games by yourself. Yet when you turned to decline you saw Nendou, Aren, and Kaido’s eyes were wide and waiting on you. Saiki held your gaze silently pleading for you to decline, but the dejected look on Nendou’s face hurt your soul too much. After all, none of them would be able to go if you _and_ Teruhashi didn’t agree on it… so after a bit of thought, it would be best to leave the heartbreak up to Teruhashi. After all, there was _no way_ she would go when it was Saiko hosting, right?

“Alright, I’ll go.”

Saiki sighed as the boys yelled their victory before running off into the halls to find little miss Kokomi. It looked like Saiki was going to say something when Saiko’s little sneer filled the air.

“You are too kind for your own good, Toritsuka.” Saiko tapped his fingers on his desk. “It wouldn’t kill you to break their little hearts once in a while to pursue what you really want.” You felt the hair on the back of your neck stand up. You refused to turn around and look into his bewitching green eyes. Instead you let him continue to talk to the back of your head. “No matter. Between you and Teruhashi, I’ll win one of you over this weekend with the true extent of my powers.”

_Money is NOT a power…_ You argued to yourself.

You turned to Saiki and saw that his eyes were still on you. You could see the confliction in his eyes. “You don’t have to come either, you know. I’ll be fine on my own.”

_“I never said you wouldn’t be.”_

The trio of weirdos burst back into the room with Teruhashi, Chiyo, and Mera in tow. Kaido led the pack. “We met your conditions. Let us join you, like you promised!”

You blinked a few times, your eyes wide at the sight of Teruhashi. _How on earth did they persuade her to come???_ Now you actually had to join, otherwise it would be _your_ fault that your friends weren’t getting treated to a private boat ride with private meals made by a private chef on the way to a private island for a wonderfully private weekend. Ugh. I guess it sounded fun after all. How bad could it possibly be with that many of you?

On a somewhat unrelated note, that also means you needed to wash laundry now so that you had enough clothes for the trip. That was more upsetting than being forced to go in the first place, honestly. 

“There are a lot of you, but you did well. I’ll give you losers a weekend you’ll never forget.”

You and Saiki sighed in tandem. _“Good grief. There goes my weekend.”_

_~Not even 48 hours later~_

You winced as you took your time coming into consciousness. Your muscles ached and your skin felt like it was on fire. A relentless wave of heat washed over you and forced you to open your eyes. It took a few blinks to adjust your vision, but once your eyes focused you realized you were laying on a beach. Everything came flooding back as the waves crashed onto the shore in front of you. “Saiki…”

Relief washed over you as your favorite psychic’s voice filled your mind. _“You’re finally awake.”_

Pushing yourself onto your feet, you rolled your stiff shoulders and neck before using a hand to block the sun from your eyes. Absorbing your surroundings, you saw pieces of boat littering the shore, as well as all your friends (thankfully, NOT in pieces). Finally, your gaze settled on Saiki, who was sitting with his back up against a palm tree. His hair disheveled and his lips more frowny than usual.

You took determined yet shaky steps to go and sit by your bestie. As you fell back to the sand, at least on your butt this time, Saiki quietly held out his hand and took some of the heat out of your sunburns. You wanted to sigh with relief from the feeling, but your stomach churned with a mix of heat exhaustion, sea water and anxiety. Looking out over the carnage you finally broke the silence. “Sorry, this is all my fault.”

Saiki jerked, his eyebrows furrowing slightly. You continued talking before he had the chance to clear the blame. “I didn’t want to go. If I had just stayed home then nobody would be here right now.”

_“By that logic we could blame Teruhashi too_.” Saiki added in a vain attempt to make you feel better.

You shrugged your eyebrows because your shoulders hurt too much to move them. Before you could spat some uncharacteristically pessimistic reply, Kaido sat up from his place in the sand. “Where are we?! Weren’t we on a ship?” His head slowly moves around as his eyes scan over the bits and pieces of the boat. You shrink away as he then starts to scream. His piercing sound jolted everyone else on the beach awake, and more screams ensued. 

Saiki sighed next to you. _“Good grief.”_

Once the passengers stopped their verbal assault on your eardrums, they grouped together to discuss their situation. You stuck to Saiki’s side like glue.

Aren led the group, taking charge like a true ex-delinquent. “Okay, so here’s what happened. The ship went down, and we drifted to this deserted island. Let’s just wait until help comes. That is all.”

Kaido jumped up from his seat on a log as he screamed again. “Hey! That’s too vague! There is no time for that! We’re stranded on a deserted island! You know it’s bad when you see this kind of thing!” He points into the sky at an invisible counter meant to document how many days they have been on the island. “Besides, this island is pretty small. It’s the size of our schoolyard, we won’t be able to find food! What can we do?! It’s only a matter of time until it looks like THIS!” Kaido pulls out a mysterious sheet of paper with their school pictures on it, with a red X going through Saiki’s picture.

_“Don’t kill me off.”_ Saiki grumbles. You get a nasty glare from him as you break out in a fit of laughter.

“Shun, didn’t you see it?” Aren takes back control as calmly as if Kaido hadn’t just broken down the entire plot of Gilligan’s island. “It’s the pantry from the ship. Miraculously, this all drifted here with us. As far as I know, Mera ate all of it on the ship. But we have plenty of water, so don’t worry.”

Mera pushed her glasses up onto her nose, the lenses flashing like in classic anime fashion. “Only amateurs drink while eating.”

“We’re lucky that there’s the pantry.” Aren sighed, smiling at the group.

“Yes. It’s a miracle!” Chiyo agreed with a clap of her hands.

You cast a side-eyed glance at Saiki. For some reason you felt like the “miracle” they spoke of had pink hair and green glasses.

“But that’s going to run out! If we don’t get help soon…” Kaido instantly began stressing again. For someone who apparently deals with the Dark Reunion on a daily basis, he sure had no chill.

“Help will come.” Saiko interjected, standing tall over the group from his position on a rock. It’s not like we drifted here on a raft. Right now, people are using the ship’s tracking device to locate where the ship sank and are searching for us. I don’t know where we are, but I know it can’t be too far.” You felt Saiki tense beside you. You mentally cursed the gods. “Plus, the son of the world’s leading financial conglomerate is here. I’m a world treasure. A giant search team of out there looking for me now. You should thank me.”

_“Don’t push your luck.”_ Saiki commented harshly.

“So what? You’re saying we shouldn’t worry?” Kaido cried out. The poor boy was a ball of anxiety worse than you were.

“That’s right, little guy. So, let’s go swimming!” Nendou grabbed Kaido’s hand hand pulled him towards the water. 

Aren’s forehead got a tick mark as he yelled after them like a diligent parent. “That’s a little too carefree!”

Kaido broke free from Nendou’s grasp, turning back to Aren. “Hey, why did we sink in the first place? I can’t remember anything.”

You rose your hand like you were in class, calling out to Kaido. “You and Saiki were out cold because of seasickness. I’m not surprised you don’t remember anything.”

Saiki practically hissed at you. _“It was a mysterious illness.”_

“You got seasick, Saiki.”

_“No, I am 100% sure it was a mysterious illness. I suddenly got a headache and wanted to throw up. This was no seasickness.”_

“That’s seasickness.”

_“I felt a little better after getting some air.”_

“That’s literally the definition of seasickness!!”

_“I still don’t know what happened. I’m fine now. I definitely wasn’t seasick. This was my first time on a ship.”_

“You were SEASICK!!!”

“Quit bantering!” Aren snapped, making you jump back and hide behind Saiki. “Anyway, while (Y/N) was looking for medicine, Teruhashi had taken Saiki’s hair pins out thinking they might be dangerous if we hit some rough waters. It happened right after that.”

You crossed your arms in front of your chest. _“So it was Teruhashi’s fault after all.”_

Aren continued to recap the boat falling apart. “I hit my head and lost consciousness. When I woke up, I was here. It was a miracle that everyone was saved.”

Nendou put his hands on his hips and faced the group. “Hey. Let’s explore the island.”

You chuckled at the big oaf. “So carefree…”

Before long, the group had dispersed, their monkey brains telling them they needed something to do. Aren, Nendou, and Kaido went one way and Teruhashi, Chiyo, and Mera went another. Saiko perched on a huge rock by the shore and stared out melancholically into the ocean. Your brain told you to cling to Saiki for dear life, so that’s what you did. After sitting under the palm trees for probably an hour in silence, you sighed. “So. Just how screwed are we?”

Saiki pinched the bridge of his nose. _“Your hunch is right. I guarantee help is not coming. I figured that out long ago. Things are a bit more serious.”_ You pulled your legs to your chest, crossing your arms and placing them over your knees. You laid your head down on your arms facing Saiki as he stared into the horizon. The sun was setting and casting a beautiful array of colors into the cloudless sky. _“I tried saving everyone with my teleportation, but I messed up the location. I teleported us to the other side of the world. This island isn’t even on the map. That’s why help will never come.”_

“Ah. Fun.” You watched him as he got lost deep in thought, trying to figure out a plan to get everyone off the island. You knew without him even telling you what his thought process was. Teleportation would work if was to another island, but now that they’ve explored it might raise suspicion of they realized anything was different. You can’t call for help because we’re on the other side of the world and that would also call for a few questions. One thought led to another, and your eyes were lulled to sleep by the rhythm of Saiki’s hair being gently swayed by the wind.

Next thing you knew, it was morning.

Aren’s footsteps had woken you. He pulled himself out of the jungle with a tired look on his face. You followed his gaze to see Saiki standing in the sand a few steps ahead of you. “Thanks for keeping watch. Did any ships pass by?”

Saiki shook his head.

“I see. So. No one has come after a day.” Aren gripped the side of his head. That’s probably pretty bad.”

It wasn’t long before the sun was beating its harsh rays down on you once more. Your head hurt from squinting so much. And you probably had a sunburn fever. On top of that, Kaido had lost his marbles.

“It’s all over. Help isn’t coming. The world has abandoned us. We’re going to have to live the rest of our lives on this island. But we won’t be able to live in a place like this.” Everyone watched with concerned looks as Kaido pulled out a sharpie and drew a mask on his face. “Soon, we will run out of food and things will become desperate. We’ll start killing each other!”

“Kaido, don’t be so pessimistic.” Teruhashi placed a hand on his shoulder, shining one of her iconic smiles.

Aren put his hands on his hips and nodded. “Right. It’s only been one day—”

“ONE WHOLE DAY!” Kaido yelled. “No one’s ever going to come!”

Chiyo stared at him with wide eyes and a blush on her face. When you caught her eyes, she glanced away with a smirk. 

_“Please don’t tell me she’s thinking what I think she is…”_ You mentally thought towards Saiki.

_“Unfortunately.”_

“Anyway, let’s eat and go for a swim!” Nendou. _This moron is not even thinking._

You turned to Saiko, who hadn’t left his perch since yesterday. Had he even left to go to the bathroom? The world may never know. “What about him? Has anyone gauged his mental stability yet?”

Saiki blinked. _“He’s fine.”_

Teruhashi and Aren broke from the group to go interrogate the rich kid. “Hey, Saiko.” Aren called out. “Come over here and eat.”

“No, I’m good.” Saiko replied, hardly turning his head to greet them.

“Are you sure? You didn’t eat yesterday either. The sinking wasn’t your fault, you know. No one cares, so you can have some bread.”

Saiko turned to them fully with a scowl. “What do you mean? I would never eat a dirty poor man’s bread. If I had to eat scraps like that, I would rather die.” Aren and Teruhashi jumped with surprise. They really shouldn’t have been surprised, but still. “Well, if Teruhashi fed it to me, I guess I would eat it.” He threw his head back and laughed as Teruhashi and Aren turned and walked away.

“What a jerk.” You muttered under your breath. 

Chiyo looked around, drawing your attention. “Wait, where’s Mera? She’s usually the first one to come running when we mention food.” 

Teruhashi nodded. “Speaking of which, I heard something while I was asleep. I wonder if it was her.”

“I guess Mera’s having a mental breakdown as well.”

Kaido’s bangs shielded his eyes as he shivered. “Already, the first victim!”

“Don’t say such ominous things!” Teruhashi yelled back at him.

You turned towards Saiki expectantly and he sighed. _“It seems she’s gone feral.”_ After a brief pause, he added. _“And ate all the food.”_

You observed as an arrow shot past Teruhashi’s face and landed in a bush behind her. Turning around, a snake rolled out of it, with an arrow in its back. “A SNAKE?!” She screamed.

You almost couldn’t contain your laughter as a wild Mera appeared, wearing a minimalistic warrior outfit made of old cloth and feathers. She found some paint and drew red stripes on her cheeks and a blue symbol on her stomach. A surprisingly well-made bow and arrow set clung to her back. She raced out and grabbed the snake, ripping it from the arrow and shoving it into a cloth bag. She didn’t even have shoes anymore.

“Woah, Mera!”

“That’s awesome!”

“What’s up with that outfit?”

“Oh!” Chiyo piped up, one of her hands making a fist and hitting the open palm of her other hand. “Since Mera is poor, I guess she’s used to living in the wild.”

“I agree, but you don’t have to say it like that.” You whispered into her ear, holding back laughter.

Mera started grunting and growling, holding out the bag for someone to take. Kaido took it while yelling. “I don’t have any idea what she’s saying!”

“What? You’re sorry for eating all the food in the pantry?” Chiyo starts translating. “She wants to give us these wild plants and mushrooms to make up for it. She says she will get hers herself, so she doesn’t need them.”

 _“How do you understand?”_ Saiki questioned with furrowed brows.

You rolled your eyes, turning away from the group to catch your breath. They were all such a hoot be around, you were surprised you hadn’t died from laughter around them yet. Your eyes caught sight of something glistening on the shore. “Hey, what’s all that?”

Saiki crossed his arms. _“Another miracle.”_

Teruhashi’s eyes went wide as she ran over to the items washing up on the beach. “It’s food!”

“WHAT?!” Kaido yelled, racing over to help pick up the can dans boxes. “Look at all these emergency rations!”

Aren had tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. “It’s like a dream!”

You narrowed your eyes at Saiki and the corner of his lip turned up in the smallest, hardly distinguishable smirk. After a minute, he confessed. _“I went shopping.”_

Alongside the cans and boxes of food also washed ashore tools and utensils, things that normally would have never “washed ashore” yet these idiots were too stupid to think it through logically. They never questioned a thing. “It’s a miracle!” They all chanted.

You beamed at Saiki. “ _You hear that? You’re a miracle!”_

He broke the gaze first. _“Don’t embarrass me.”_

Nendou distractedly walked over to the water with a board from one of the boxes. “Hey, this floats right?”

You saw Saiki’s eyes light up. Wood. Floating. Raft. Tilting your head, you secretly questioned him. _“Did you finally come up with a plan?”_

He didn’t even need to answer your question. Just as the group was wondering how to build a raft a bag of saws and tape magically drifted ashore. While Kaido imagined scenarios where they used the saws to murder each other, everyone else started getting busy. Saiki and you gathered water bottles along the beach. Chiyo and Teruhashi went into the forest to collect vines to use as rope. Aren and Nendou got started cutting down trees with the eventual help of Kaido once he was done spazzing.

It was a long day of tiring work, but everyone felt better knowing they were making progress towards salvation. To quote a famous lion, “I know my chances are slim, but I have to try!”

As the sun started to set, the group dispersed back into the woods where they had set up temporary beds. You stayed behind, staring out into the sunset as Saiki made adjustments to the badly-crafted raft. Your idiot classmates had treated the project as if it would be as easy as making a Minecraft raft. Their knots were loose and their structure was nonexistent. No matter. Because Saiki was there to save the day.

As the dark blue hues of the sky finally overtook the reds, your eyes drifted upwards. Your heart skipped a beat at what you saw. Stars. Thousands, millions, billions of stars. Piercing the darkness and casting an ethereal glow over everything. Your breath caught in your chest. In all the hundreds of hours you had spent in your lifetime observing the stars in your literally and figuratively darkest days, you had never seen them so bright.

_“Are you crying?”_

Saiki’s voice broke through the veil of silence. Your fingers came back wet as they wiped at your cheeks. “Oh…” You sighed quietly. “I guess I am.” 

Your eyes never left the sky. You felt Saiki’s presence as he walked up beside you, stopping, and following your gaze. The two of you stood there, counting as shooting stars danced across the sky. He kept you company in silence for a while. Ten minutes or ten hours, you weren’t sure how long you stood there before Saiki spoke up.

 _“I don’t think I’ve ever stopped to appreciate the night sky before.”_ Saiki admitted.

You finally turned to the psychic. His eyes glittered, reflecting the stars off his bare eyes. He had slipped off his glasses. He wasn’t looking at you, so you were okay to take in the sight. His hair looked blue in the dark, with a slight pink on top from the light of the stars. Your heart lurched as soon as you saw it. A true, genuine smile. A big one, at that. You said nothing, instead admired his presence and beauty for a moment before turning back to the sky. You weren’t sure if it was the moment, the lighting, or the stars, but you felt the need to come clean about something.

“Hey, Saiki. Can I confide in you?” Your quiet voice, barely above a whisper, added to the night like a slight breeze. You saw him nod. “Well, you can time travel, right?” He nods again. “Do you believe in alternate universes?”

He was quiet for a little while before answering. The silence calming instead of awkward. _“I guess. Every time I time travel and mess something up, when I come back it almost feels like I’ve entered an alternate universe.”_

“Would you believe me if I said I was from an alternate universe? A universe where my life was a living hell. A universe where I was alone. A universe where… you… my best friend… were nothing more than a manga character.” You saw Saiki stiffen from the corner of your eye. He slipped his glasses back on before looking at you. “I don’t know why I was sent here. Or more accurately, I don’t remember. It feels like a long-lost dream, now. All I remember is that being back there, it felt… bad. All I know is that coming here was the best thing to ever happen to me. I’m sure in time, I’ll forget that I ever existed anywhere but here.”

You turn to Saiki. You can’t read his expression in the dark, even after your eyes had adjusted, but his voice in your head made it clear. _“That explains a lot.”_ It had a hint of laughter hidden under an understanding tone. He didn’t see you any differently for your secret, and it seemed he believed you. After all, he had seen weirder things. 

“Alright, enough sap for one day.” You sniffed, wiping the rest of the tears off your face. You were sure your cheeks were probably streaked now from the dust, dirt and sand the last couple days. Maybe you would take an ocean bath in the morning. “I’m going to get some sleep. How about you?” Saiki nodded, following you to the palm tree you fell asleep next to the night prior.

With a sigh you plopped yourself down, leaning your back against the tree. To your surprise, Saiki sat down next you, albeit more gingerly, and scooted right up next to you so that your shoulders touched. You raised an eyebrow at him. “Aren’t you going to go sleep in your bed? You know, because you can teleport?”

Saiki only shook his head, getting comfortable with his head resting against the bark of the tree. Your heart sped up as his warmth spread to you. You crossed your arms. “Alright. Your funeral.”

As your eyelids drifted closer together and music played in your head to fall asleep to, your head fell over and landed on Saiki’s shoulder. You were too tired to notice, instead wondering why you suddenly got so warm. 

You drifted off to sleep enjoying his company and woke up to it as well.

You also woke up to arguing. A lot of it.

Down the beach, the group was working on the raft again first thing in the morning. As you and Saiki approached them, Saiko was about to be pummeled by Kaido.

“Leaving a group in both places ensures our odds.” Saiko pushed away from the geek with a smirk.

“You’re right. We don’t need everyone to go.” Aren concluded, gripping his chin deep in thought.

“We just need someone to call for help.” Saiko nodded.

Saiki tensed beside you. You blinked the tired out of your eyes, trying to comprehend the situation as they continued to babble back and forth.

“So, is there anyone who wants to go?” Kaido asked.

You shook your head, turning to the pale blue-haired boy. “Go where?”

“Oh, pals one and two!” Nendou called attention to you. “Saiko suggested that some of us stay on the island in case help arrives, that way they don’t miss all of us.”

Your heart dropped. So that’s why Saiki was tense. He had planned on teleporting the raft once everyone was out at sea, so they wouldn’t notice the change in scenery. Now, that wouldn’t be possible.

Nendou raised both his hands. “Me me me! I want to go on the raft!”

“Then you’re definitely on, Nendou.” Kaido sighed.

“Well, us men should probably go.” Aren suggested. “I wouldn’t mind going on the raft, and three people left behind would be more than enough.”

Saiko shook his head. “No, that’s too many people on the raft. Weight will be an issue. You only need four people on the raft. So I’ll stay.”

You squinted at him as Aren yelled. “You just want to stay together with the girls!”

“Of course. This way, my lineage is protected if you don’t make it back.” You pointed to your mouth and made a gagging noise, eliciting a bout of laughter from Chiyo. “If anyone’s DNA should survive, it should be mine!” 

“Absolutely not!”

“Then who? We don’t need five people on the raft, and the girls won’t be safe.” Saiko crossed his arms.

Mera interrupted the argument. “I forgot to mention that I’d rather be on the raft.” With the attention turned to her, she continued. “I’ve caused all of you so much trouble here, so I want to give back in some way.”

Everyone was overcome with depression at that statement. Nobody could disagree.

Chiyo muttered under her breath. “Maybe you could stay behind, Kaido…”

“Why me?”

By the surprised look on her face, you assume she didn’t mean to be heard. “Why? Well…” Her face was red as she stammered. “You know, you’re weak like a girl, and you get seasick. You probably won’t be any use on the raft!”

Saiki sighed. _“Nice cover, but he hates you now.”_

Kaido burst out in tears. “I’m getting on the raft!”

Saiko snapped his fingers and smirked. An image of chibi Saiki, Aren, Kaido, Mera, Nendou, and Chiyo appeared in his head, floating away on the raft from the island inhabited by only him, Teruhashi, and you. “That’s perfect. Let’s do that.”

You smacked your forehead. “Enough! I’ll decide for you!” Everyone flinched, looking at you with wide eyes. “Nendou, you wanted to go on the raft first, so you go. Mera, you too. Saiki and Kaido get seasick, so they automatically stay here.” You demanded while pointing at the people as you named them. “Aren, you said you wouldn’t mind going on the raft, so you should probably go too. And YOU! You’re going on the raft since you got us into this mess, Saiko!” 

“That makes me, Nendou, Mera, and Saiko for the raft group.” Aren nods, agreeing with your decision. “I assume there are no objections?”

Saiki blinked. _“Yes, I totally do.”_

Teruhashi and Chiyo’s eyes lit up like stars as they looked at Saiki and Kaido, respectively. You grimaced. _“I’d rather have Mera on the island than Teruhashi, but since she volunteered I don’t have much choice…”_

Everyone cheered, morale boosted by the plan of attack. The group split up into three directions as they started gathering materials. Aren encouraged everyone to work hard so we could get the raft done before nightfall.

You looked to Saiki, whose eyebrows were knitted together as he was deep in thought. You overheard him thinking.

_“Good grief. I have to do something…”_

Your lips turned up in a small grin. You knew he would think of something. He always does.

After another long day of working, the raft was finished. It even donned a gorgeous pirate flag made by yours-truly. All of you stood around it with pride. Filled with hope. Kaido stepped forward, clearing his throat and gaining everyone’s attention. “At first, I thought a raft was a stupid idea. But I’m glad we built it.” Chiyo started crying, moved by Kaido’s words. “We were divided at first when we came to this island. I was really worried. But now, we worked together to build a raft, and I’m not worried anymore. I know it’s weird to say, but I’m really glad we got stranded on this island. We learned Aren is a surprisingly good leader. Nendou is the same as ever, and that’s amazing considering our current situation. Mera turned feral and was domesticated again, which was really weird but also impressive. And (Y/N)…” You pointed at yourself, confused. “Never stopped smiling. Her optimism kept us going even when we wanted to quit.” Everyone nodded in agreement. You felt your heart swell. “In fact, I’m certain now that we’re all going to make it!”

 _“Nice speech, but that’s a sure sign you’re about to die.”_ Saiki commented, ruining the moment.

Everyone laughed and joked, Nendou made fun of Kaido sparking a squabble, but it was all in good fun. With the moon overhead and the cold setting in, another day was done. But Saiki’s work was just beginning.

You ended up staying up and watching Saiki work all night. Your eyes were bloodshot and tired as the sun rose and lifeboats came to your rescue. Even Saiki can’t teleport an entire island. Not unless he breaks it down into smaller pieces. Which is exactly what he did. You watched with awe as Saiki created a replica island off the coast of Japan. He moved trees and earth day and night, using the building of a raft as cover for the missing plants. You had only found out on night two, after he had to work overtime because he had spent the second night with you longer than he planned. Then, when everyone was asleep, he teleported them to the new island. And presto, we were saved.

After everything that happened, there were a lot of memories made on that island. But you would never forget that night you spent under the stars with Saiki. You would definitely, absolutely, never forget.

Good grief.

\--------------------

You turned to Saiki. Your eyes met his, faces mirroring each other as your mentally groaned. _“Another transfer student…”_

A boy entered the room, chattering before the teacher could even tell him to introduce himself. This early in the morning, you didn’t have the energy for someone like him. Yet, out of kindness, you put on your best “welcome to PK Academy” smile and tried to listen intently to his introduction. In classic anime fashion, speech bubbles blocked the way as he entered, his words filling up the front of the room as he hardly took a breath between sentences.

“Wow, I feel kind of nervous. I’m so excited to spend our exciting youth together. I’m just like a child before he performs a recital. But I don’t play an instrument. Changing first impressions is difficult. I hear psychologists call it the primacy effect. Have you formed an impression of me?”

“I can’t tell what he looks like behind all those speech bubbles!” The students whispered.

“Sorry for blabbering on. It’s a bad habit of mine. I say everything I think of. I hope you’ll see I’m just honest.” The transfer pushed aside the speech bubbles, revealing his face. An average height boy with a blonde bowl cut, you had a feeling he would be attractive if he would just fix his hair. He had big doe eyes and a kind smile.

“Finally!” The classmates breathed.

The teacher mentally facepalmed. She thankfully, interrupted the boy before he could babble more. “Akechi, can you go ahead and just introduce yourself?”

He looked to her with a smile. “Is it okay if I take my time?”

“Keep it short.”

His smile wiped away. He looked like someone had just told him to murder his mother. “Keep it short? But the class won’t know who this guy in their classroom is. Then the class won’t be able to concentrate. But it’s almost time for next period. As they say, “When in Rome,” so I’ll adjust for you. I’ll give a short introduction.”

 _“It’s about time.”_ Saiki muttered.

“My first name is Touma, and my last name is Akechi. I’m sure you’re all wondering, ‘Why did he transfer now?’ I actually have a unique skill. I can…”

The bell rang before he could manage another conjunction sentence of zero worth. The teacher clapped, stepping in front of him to physically block him from continuing. “Alright! Let’s all make friends with him. That’s the end of homeroom!”

“That’s one crazy guy…” Students began whispering, having made a negative impression in the first few minutes of being in the class. 

Touma Akechi. The man that would become the thorn in your side worse than Teruhashi.

You, being the person you were, decided to assume Akechi’s diarrhea of the mouth was more from nerves than his actual personality. You wanted to think the best of everyone. Yet, when he approached you during break while you were out in the hallway grabbing a drink from a vending machine, you realized how wrong you were.

Akechi walked up to you innocently enough. He had change in his hand and looked like he was there for the vending machine too. “Oh! You’re (Y/N) right?”

“Yes! It’s nice to meet you, Akechi.” You bowed slightly, both out of kind gesture and bending down to get your drink.

“I wanted to ask you a few questions. I’ll be quick.”

You pursed your lips. Remembering the incident from earlier, you shrugged. You didn’t really believe him, but you wouldn’t let a first impression guide your feelings. You decided this would be a good chance to truly gauge his personality. “I guess, okay…”

Akechi’s eyes lit up, and he fired like a cannon. “Aren was in a gang, right? I mean, his glasses are fake. The way his hair and clothes are so tidy, clearly he wants to give off the impression that he’s normal. But his rough language, subtle musculature, the way he looks, and his fists give him away.”

You blinked, taken aback. “Really?” You paused, thinking about it more closely. Akechi was right. “Most people wouldn’t notice.”

“I suppose so. It’s apparent to me, though. This trait of mine seems to surprise people. People at my previous school used to say I was a psychic. Also, I can find lost objects and see through people’s lies. Of course, I’m not actually a psychic. Psychic powers are real though. I’ve seen them before.” You felt a tinge of fear rise in your chest, but before you could even mull it over, Akechi continued. “It was when I was in elementary school. Something happened one day that could only be explained by psychic powers. So, I was awfully surprised when I came into class and saw him again.” You gulped. He couldn’t mean… “His name is Kusuo, I believe you’re good friends with him? At least that’s the impression I got from watching you two leave to have lunch together.”

Your jaw dropped. Taking a step back, you filled the brief silence with an “uh”. Before you could respond, Akechi was filling the air with his speech bubbles once more. You were legitimately afraid he was going to suffocate you with his speed of tongue! You could hardly get a breath in let alone defend or deflect any of his questions with a dodgy answer. Did this boy ever shut up? 

Not likely.

“Has Kusuo ever mentioned that day? Akechi is my mother’s maiden name, so my name used to be Touma Asumi. I’m so glad to see him again! I can finally ask him about what I’ve always been wondering about. He’s a psychic, right? Surely you would know, spending so much time with him after all. I’ve wanted to ask him about it for ten years ever since he moved away. Is he a psychic? You can tell me, I’m great at keeping secrets! Since meeting Kusuo, have you ever noticed anything strange happening around you? Maybe he bent a spoon, nearby objects suddenly broke, he easily found lost objects, plants around him all died, scratching his nose without his hand, saying he was worried about his power, winning the lottery, dying but then coming back to school, being hated by dogs, retrieving a legendary sword, or killing people by writing their names?”

As he had talked, your face slowly morphed into a one-eyebrow-raised, wrinkled nose, squinty-eyed, slack-jawed mess of confusion. Was this kid on drugs? How did he know about Saiki’s powers? Wasn’t his last example of psychic powers from an anime? 

He laughed at your expression.

“That face brings back memories! It was during first grade when I asked Kusuo the same question, and he made that exact face. Yes, we were classmates in elementary school. Kusuo suddenly moved away, so it was only for two years. I met Kusuo during the opening ceremony in elementary school. I wet myself from nervousness, and Kusuo was right next to me.”

“Wait wait wait…” You interrupted Akechi, waving your hands in front of you. “Come on, Saiki can’t be a psychic…” You tried your best to cover for your pink-haired friend. Your only thought being that you had to talk to him immediately after breaking free from this fast talker. “We were recently stranded on an island with a bunch of other classmates. If he was a psychic, we wouldn’t have had to live out there for a week before being rescued.”

“Oh, the shipwreck incident?” This kid had just transferred here and yet he knew about the incident? Who was he? Some kind of stalker? “I’m 99% sure that incident was Kusuo’s doing. If I can find proof that he has psychic powers, then he’s undeniably involved in that incident. I have a whole list of reasons to suspect him. Of course I won’t bore you with the details right now, but I promise that I’ll find the proof---“

“Hey you!”

A familiar voice broke the blonde’s train of speech. Turning to see who it was, a purple haired brother of yours stomped up to you, placing himself between Akechi and yourself. “Watch who you’re talking to!” He paused, turning to you and giving you a warm, protective smile. “It’s okay, (Y/N)-chan, I’ll take care of him.” 

You watch with embarrassment as your purple haired brother starts babbling about your purity and finally gets Aketchi to turn and walk away. Reita then turns to you, ready to boast about his protection skills when he abruptly pauses, looking deep in thought before proudly exclaiming, “Got it, Saiki!”

Aketchi freezes in his tracks. Your eyes go wide. You shoot your brother the best death glare you had ever seen. You swore for a moment that you could see the symbol of death appear on his face as Akechi turns on a dime and starts pummeling him with questions. Saiki had just communicated with him telepathically, and he had practically announced it to the one man who should not under any circumstance find out about Saiki’s powers!

_That idiot!!_

“Did you say ‘Saiki’ just now? You did, didn’t you?” Akechi asked.

Reita started walking away, doing his best to pretend Akechi wasn’t following him a few steps behind with crazed eyes and a wicked grin. “Where are you going? You know Kusuo? Even though you’re in a different class? Actually that makes sense. Assuming (Y/N) is your sister, you would know Kusuo by association. That can’t be all there is to it though. You don’t exactly look very normal. Does he have some kind of hold on you? Can’t you answer?” Reita lets out a disturbing squeal. “I’ll take that as a yes. You definitely know something, and you’re bad at hiding it. Is Kusuo a psychic?”

You stood frozen in place. Watching from down the hall as your brother stopped, pausing for a moment before turning around with the chilliest face you had ever seen. His voice echoed down to you. “What are you talking about?” Your hope for a smooth dismissal was shattered as Reita’s voice got all squeaky and he rubbed at the back of his neck nervously. “I thought Saiki had asked you to get back the money I owe him.”

As Reita walked away again, this time Akechi left him alone. “Oh, you owe Saiki money. How misleading. I guess I can just try (Y/N) again…”

Before the blonde could double back and question you some more, you turned tail and ran. You heard him call out to you, but somehow managed to avoid him by slipping into a janitorial closet. Hearing Akechi walk past and out of earshot, you exited the room with a sigh of relief to see Saiki standing there, waiting for you. You jumped in surprise, opening your mouth ready to explain what had happened when he pressed a finger to your lips and gestured for you to follow him. He telepathically started explaining some things.

 _“Sorry about that. I overheard. He’s asking around about me. So annoying!”_ Saiki’s eyebrows were knitted in frustration. _“Good grief. To think that there would be someone who remembers that time in second grade. I should have erased my tracks._ ”

That time in second grade? Your curiosity had been piqued. “What happened?”

 _“I don’t want to remember that.”_ Saiki sighed. _“He’s troublesome. It’s that not only is he smart, but he’s always talking. He’s able to talk while thinking about something else. Those two lines of thought make it hard for me to listen in on him. That explains why he recognized me before I could recognize him.”_

“I could figure that out for myself, Sherlock.” You crossed your arms. “And really? You’re not going to tell me what happened?”

_“No.”_

“Why not?”

Saiki paused, glancing away. _“It’s embarrassing.”_

You rolled your eyes. “Fine, I’ll just ask Akechi what happened…”

Saiki’s shoulders dropped. He audibly sighed, glancing around to make sure nobody was around to interrupt him. _“We were friends in elementary school, so we hung out a lot. I made the mistake of healing Akechi after he was bullied once. I thought he was passed out, but he wasn’t. I tried to deny it, but after I found him beat to a pulp one day after school, I accidentally ended up destroying the classroom and beating the bullies up in the process. It seems he put two and two together.”_

You let out a breathy “Ohhhh” before nodding. “Makes sense.”

Saiki blinked. “So stay away from him. Tell him nothing.”

You bit your lip as you nodded. “Gotcha, Saiki!”

As he walked away you sighed to yourself. _I don’t want to talk to him again, anyway…_

~

It had been a few days since the confrontation with Akechi. You had caught him eying you in class, so you knew he was dying to talk to you again. You didn’t try particularly hard to avoid Akechi. Then again, you didn’t need to, because he was busy with other things at the moment. Akechi had been going around to every person that talked to Saiki throughout the week. Nendou, Aren, Kaido, Chiyo… everyone who made the mistake of approaching Saiki got a thorough investigation by the paranoid blonde. Once he ran out of people to interrogate, you started to believe that maybe he had given up on his theory.

You were wrong.

You hadn’t given it a second thought when Saiki wasn’t able to walk home with you today. Nendou had offered to pay for ramen “for the boys”. You were invited, too, but decided you had better stay home and get some homework done instead. Also, it was only a little insulting to be the only woman invited to a boys outing. Were you really that genderfluid that Nendou forgot you were a girl, or is he just that dumb? Anyway, since Reita was tagging along for the free food, you found yourself walking home alone.

That was, until a familiar chatty voice stopped you in your tracks. 

“I noticed you’re in love with him. Kusuo, I mean.”

Your heart felt like it dropped to your stomach. You spun around faster than your balance could handle, making you sway from dizziness. It could have also been from the rush of blood to your face. Akechi stood there, a few steps away, a slight smirk playing at his lips.

“What… why would you…” Your voice caught in your throat. Your well-kept secret had been deduced by a new student who had spent all of one week in the same class as you?

“It was easy to tell, really. In class you would always lose your concentration when you glanced up at him. I couldn’t help but notice you doodling him in your notebook. I haven’t seen the two of you at lunch, so that means you must sneak off somewhere private to eat. I followed you once, but you’re pretty fast! I lose you every time. Although that implies I followed you more than once. You caught me! I’ve tried many times. I honestly can’t figure out where you go. It’s a complete mystery to me, and not much stays a mystery from me. Does he teleport you somewhere?”

He had just Sherlocked you!

“You spend an average of three hours at his house before walking home by yourself, at which point you always look depressed. You were happy going in, so that means you miss his company when you leave. I’ve never seen you hold hands. Kusuo never seems that excited to see you, but he’s a very private person. He’s almost impossible to read. I see the way his parents treat you. They like you a lot. You must visit a lot for them to know you so well. Your face is very red right now. Am I embarrassing you? Sorry about that. I just have so many questions. Are you two secretly dating?”

You took a step back, stuttering your words. “We, we, we are not! Definit-definitely not! No!”

“Oh! That’s too bad. You’re nauseatingly kind, I can’t find a single thing wrong with you. It’s really too bad that you like him so much. You’re like the inner beauty to match Teruhashi’s outer beauty. Although you are really cute too! Kusuo really doesn’t know what he’s missing out on. Kaido’s in love with you; you should go out with him. Oh, but by your reaction you knew that already. I guess you only see him as a friend. You wouldn’t be interested in me would you? Nobody has ever had a crush on me. I come off a little intimidating sometimes.”

You raised your voice. “Gee, I wonder why?”

Akechi let out a small laugh. “Now you’re deflecting. Even though it hurt my feelings a little. I’ll try not to take that rejection too personally. That’s a sure sign that I’m pushing the right buttons. I’m right, aren’t I? You’re in love with Kusuo? You see something in him that nobody else does. Is that because you know he’s a psychic? I went through your school records. You get amazing grades. Does he help you cheat?”

You took a few more steps backward, trying to increase the distance between you. “Please, please stop asking me about this…”

“Why? Now you’re sweating. Why are you nervous? Nobody is here but us. Unless Kusuo is a psychic? Can he read minds? Are you afraid that he will find out about your feelings for him? Just tell me. Is Kusuo a psychic? I’ll stop bothering you if you tell me. I promise. Boy scouts honor. Although, I got kicked out of boy scouts for talking too much. And sharing camp secrets. I still don’t understand why that was such a big deal. But I promise, this time I won’t tell anyone.”

Tears of embarrassment pricked at the corner of your eyes. “Akechi, listen. I don’t have any ill-will towards you. I don’t know why your sights are locked on me, but I can’t help you in your search to prove Saiki is a psychic.” You swallowed a lump in your throat, standing tall. “Even if I knew one way or another, I wouldn’t tell you if Saiki didn’t want me to. I never break a promise.”

Akechi paused, nodding slightly. He seemed to accept your answer about Saiki. But he wasn’t finished.

“Oh, I have a reason for that. There’s something about you that interests me as well, (Y/N). I couldn’t find any trace of you before a year ago. It’s like you appeared out of thin air. There isn’t even a birth record for you. Well, there isn’t one for your brother either, the pervert, but at least I can find documentation from his youth. I found pictures of the two of you but somehow they feel fake. Maybe Kusuo summoned you and gave everyone false memories? Or maybe you’re some kind of refugee?”

The memories of you in a different world were hazy now. Some nights you stayed awake, trying to remember, finding them becoming harder to grasp. You wondered if it was all a dream, or some kind of brain injury. You remembered a childhood with Reita more clearly than those hazy memories, so how, then, was there no trace of you here? Unless it was true, and you just… forgot.

“I’m sorry.” You shrugged your shoulders. In a quiet voice, you told Akechi the best version of the truth you could. “I really can’t help you.”

Akechi sighed. His face lit up in a smile, his eyes kind instead of questioning. “I believe you, (Y/N)!” He bowed in a formal apology. “I will keep your love for Kusuo a secret. But I won’t stop watching you two. I know for a fact that he’s a psychic. I haven’t been able to rest for ten years. I need to know. If you can confirm this for me, I would be very appreciative. I understand if you won’t tell me. I hope you have a good rest of your day! I’m sorry for upsetting you. I hope you believe me. If there’s anything I can do for you…”

He kept talking. You flashed a small smile before turning your back to the blonde, releasing a breath you didn’t realize you had been holding. His train of thought changed, and he exclaimed, “If you change your mind, I’ll always be open to a chat!”

With a wave over your shoulder, you muttered under your breath. 

“Yeah… _I know_.”

\--------------------

Friday. The best day of the week next to Saturday. This Friday was especially fantastic because you didn’t have school. It was a designated make-up test day for people who failed their finals. Like Chiyo. Naturally, you passed everything with flying colors except for your least favorite subject, but even that pulled through for you with an average grade. 

Also, big bonus for not having to face Akechi again after last week’s confrontation. You were still shooketh from that experience.

You were sitting on your couch, Reita occupying the seat next to you. How he didn’t fail his tests was beyond you. He was flipping through channels on the TV while you were slouched, double-chinned and staring at your phone that you held an inch away from your face. You already watched all the new youtube videos from your subscribed channels, caught up on your favorite television show, answered a massive pile-up of a whopping two, count ‘em, two emails from Nendou, and made a new batch of coffee jelly. Now you were scrolling through pinterest, mindlessly adding every shirtless fanart of your favorite anime characters into their respective fandom boards. As you glanced at the clock ready for a nap, realizing it was only ten in the morning, you shoved your phone in your pocket and bid Reita goodbye, much to his excitement as he clicked on a pay-per-view adult movie, not realizing that the title goes on your bill at the end of the month. You rolled your eyes. The monks will not be happy with him. Not your problem.

You packed up your fresh coffee jelly, threw together some homemade whipped cream, and made your way to Saiki’s house. When there was nothing better to do and you were bored, Saiki Kusuo was your outlet for entertainment. Even if you did nothing but watch TV, you were more comfortable watching in silence with the psychic compared to Reita’s constant perverted comments about the actresses. At least, that’s the excuse you’ve come to tell yourself regularly.

However, if you had the power of foresight, you would have stayed home.

You hadn’t even knocked twice when the door flew open. An angry old man you had never met before glared at you. You froze, glancing around to make sure you were at the right house.

“I don’t know you! Go away!” He spat at you with a venomous voice.

“Uh…” Was all you could mutter before Mrs. Saiki, Kurumi appeared behind him. 

“Oh, (Y/N)-chan! I’m so sorry, don’t mind my father.” Kurumi apologized with her classic smile. “Dad, this is Toritsuka (Y/N), Ku-chan’s friend!”

You could have sworn you saw the man’s expression change for a spilt second into pure ecstasy before returning to a frown. “Why is she here?”

You regained your composure, bowing to Kurumi and her father. “Sorry for the intrusion! I didn’t realize you had company today.” You offered Kurumi the bag you were carrying. “I made coffee jelly this morning so I was going to pop over and see if Saiki wanted to hang out, but as long as you have company I’ll just drop it off. You’re all free to have some…”

“Nonsense!” Kurumi cooed. “Please, come in! I’m sure Pa-chan won’t mind, will you?” Before you could even attempt to leave Kurumi pulled you inside. Her father, Saiki’s grandfather, was still cross-armed and giving you the side-eye, although you could see a sparkle in his eyes that clashed with his rugged exterior. “Pa, introduce yourself to our lovely (Y/N)-chan!”

Kurumi walked off to put the treats in the fridge, and you smiled at her father as he glared at you. He glanced to the side as he spoke. “Saiki Kumagoro.”

You bowed once more. “Toritsuka (Y/N). It’s really nice to meet you. Please call me (Y/N).” You followed as he grunted and moved into the living room. “I’m sorry I intruded on your visit…”

A kind voice called your attention. An older lady was sitting on the couch, sipping at some tea. She had a kind smile that mirrored Kurumi’s, and her eyes lit up when she saw you. “Oh my, are you the (Y/N) I’ve heard so much about?” Dark brown hair with streaks of grey, she set down her cup of tea and approached you, taking your hands in hers. “I’m Saiki Kumi, Kurumi’s mother. It’s such a pleasure to meet you!”

Your face heated up. “Mrs. Saiki talks about me?”

Kumagoro huffed. “My daughter practically never shuts up about you.”

“(Y/N)-chan, please call me Kurumi! You’re family. No need to be so formal.” She set down a tray of coffee jelly’s on the kotatsu before yelling upstairs. “Ku-chan! (Y/N)-chan brought coffee jelly!”

You jumped as Saiki teleported right next to you. You apologized immediately. “Sorry, Saiki. I didn’t mean to intrude.”

Kurumi giggled, seeing both her parents turn towards you with wide eyes. “Don’t worry, she knows.”

They both sighed with relief. You chuckled as Saiki bypassed the “line” and grabbed one of your famous coffee jelly’s. The smile you loved so much reappeared on his face as he took a bite. _“Homemade whipped cream too?”_ He asked.

You smiled and nodded. You knew he would notice. “Yep!”

Kurumi awed, clapping her hands together. “(Y/N)-chan, you’re too kind!”

Saiki handed you a jelly and then grabbed your arm, trying to drag you to his room for peace and quiet. Kurumi wasn’t having any of that today. “Kusuo! Your grandparents would like to get to know your friend!”

Reluctantly, Saiki came back and sat down on the couch, placing himself strategically between you and his grandparents. It would have usually made asking questions more difficult, but it didn’t stop them nor seem to bother them.

You were barraged with life questions, like what’s your family like and how were your grades at school. You were forced to explain how you and Saiki became friends and admitted to spending more time here than at your own house, er, temple.

“Oh, Kuru-chan! She’s even from a religious background, just like you always wanted!” Kumi awed at you. 

“Always… wanted?” You questioned.

Saiki raised your curiosity by commenting _. “Please don’t start.”_

“Oh, nevermind. Goodness me, I’m getting ahead of myself again!” The old lady retracted her statement, rising more curiosity out of you. 

Saiki seemed to want to disappear into the couch and never return as his grandfather confirmed your suspicions. “She means to say that religion is a quality they want to see in Kusuo’s future wife.”

You dropped your gaze as you chuckled nervously, your face heating up and turning bright red. You stammered, unable to get your words together long enough to properly tell them off. All you could manage to do is shake your head and wave your hands in front of you.

Kurumi saved you though, thank God. “Don’t be so direct, Oto-san! Besides, they say they’re just friends. We need to respect that.” You raised your head slightly to catch a glimpse of her winking at you. Your face heated up yet again _. Why did I have to come over today?_ You wondered.

Kumagoro faced you, forcing eye-contact. “From everything I’ve heard and seen, you sound perfect for my grandson. What’s wrong? Don’t you like Kusuo?”

Akechi’s voice rang in your head. _“I noticed you’re in love with him. Kusuo, I mean.”_

You felt like you were going to die. Your face was red, your heart rate was through the roof, and Saiki was sitting _right next to you_ through it all, stone-faced as always. You had a hard time finding your words. “No!! I mean, well, we are friends I mean, so, yes, but no, that’s, that’s not the problem…”

Kumi and Kurumi stood back, waiting for your responses almost as intently as Kumagoro. “Well what’s the problem then?”

You scratched at the back of your head. How could you possibly answer this without hurting Saiki’s feelings or letting down his family?

Almost like a gift from the Teruhashi Gods, the doorbell rang. You shot up, practically running for the door. “I’ll get it!!”

Sitting and dealing with a barrage of questions from suspecting elders that wanted to become your in-laws was preferable to what you saw standing in the path when you opened the door.

Blonde hair. Smirky face. Mind-reading-canceller crown on his head.

“Oh no…”

“(Y/N)-chan, what a lovely surprise!” Kusuke, Saiki’s brother, wrapped an arm around your shoulders and pulled you inside with him, strutting into the living room. You stood frozen in fear. Your anxiety had peaked, and you were ready to yeet yourself off a cliff.

Kurumi and Kumi cheered at the sight of Kusuke. “Kusu-chan! Why are you here?”

Everyone turned around as another voice called out from the entryway. “I invited him!” Kuniharu, Saiki’s father, who had just come home from work, explained. “I knew Kumagoro would enjoy seeing both his grandsons for his birthday!”

“Aww, thank you honey!” Kurumi gave her husband a hug.

You tried to push away from Kusuke but he held on to you tight. You stared wide-eyed and furrow-browed at Saiki, who also appeared frustrated by this turn of events. “Gramps, what do you think of (Y/N)? I’d like to marry her someday if I’d have your blessing…”

You slipped out of Kusuke’s grasp as the Saiki family, except for Saiki himself, fawned over you. Kumagoro nodded, seemingly understanding. “Ah, that’s why she refused Kusuo.”

_Oh my God…_

“I’m not marrying anybody, sorry!” You tried to brush it off like a joke, but Saiki’s grandparents seemed hurt by your words. 

“You’re so lovely though, (Y/N) dear!” Kumi said. “I wouldn’t have any qualms accepting you into this family!”

Kuniharu laughed at the scene. “Did we tell you that she bought Kusuo a new TV for Christmas? Always going above and beyond for our boy… she reminds me of my sweetheart…” He turned his gaze to Kurumi, and the two shared a moment.

Now, listen. You lived with Reita. You were used to embarrassment. Yet this? This was too much. This was like being a deer in the headlights, except instead of a highway it was a city intersection, and the light had just turned green and you were standing in the middle of it all.

 _“I must have my own fortune wrong, because this guy is definitely yours.”_ The memory of Aiura reading your fortune popped in your head, frustrating you further.

You turned to Saiki with a forced smile. “Can I leave?”

 _“I don’t think you will be able to, unfortunately.”_ He said through grit teeth. It was astonishing how accurate his telepathic voice could mimic a physical one. Wait, were you just fawning over his voice? Good grief, get over him or ask him out already!

Kurumi and Kuniharu surrounded you, locking arms with you, effectively holding you hostage. You sighed. There was no way out now. “Sorry, sorry! We’re just teasing. We were just about to go shopping, why don’t you join us? Lunch is on us!”

The invasive thoughts dissipated. Your eyes lit up. You didn’t want to stick around and embarrass yourself further, or bring up images of Saiki in a favorable light like the time you spent under the stars on the beach on the deserted island for example, but you were food motivated and decided it couldn’t get any worse than earlier. Ignoring the suggestive stare from Kusuke, you accepted. “If you insist.”

Saiki’s head dropped with his shoulders as he let out a heavy sigh. You could tell he wasn’t looking forward to this. And yet his defeated look put a smile on your face.

But… at the end of the day…

Family reunions suck.

\----------------------------------

_“The world is going to end?!”_

This is not how you wanted to start your day today. Or, rather, end your day. It was 3am, whatever. Who cares.

Yet when Saiki came to you with a confession, you had gotten excited and said, and I quote, “Of course, you can tell me anything!”

This… wasn’t exactly what you had been hoping for.

Owari Mountain is a volcano that is about to have a huge eruption. It will start a chain of eruptions. It is a calamity that would destroy Japan, but Saiki can’t tell anyone that. Nobody outside of the psychic club, anyway. You weren’t psychic, but were an honorary member.

You had been peer pressured into going on this trip to Oshimai, which took every last penny of your savings, hurting your heart and your soul, because the group agreed to cancel if even one person couldn’t make the trip due to scheduling issues. Saiki had been rather quiet throughout the day, but you had assumed it was because of the constant social interaction. You couldn’t blame him; it was too much even for you. You were exhausted. Had just been falling asleep too when his voice popped into your head, calling you out into the hall at midnight.

He teleported you without a word into a nearby hotel, being greeted immediately by your brother and Aiura. 

“Finally! Don’t make us wait after making us come to a place like this at an ungodly hour!” Reita yelled, making you wince from his volume.

“I’m seriously sleepy. Tomorrow morning…” Aiura began but was cut off by Saiki.

_“Let’s begin the meeting.”_

“How could you leave me alone with this guy at this hour?!” Aiura took back the floor, pointing to your brother with wide eyes.

“I would never do such a thing!!” Reita defended himself, sweat beading on his forehead.

“You’re a creep!!”

“Calm down, guys.” You intervened. “I have no idea why I’m here, but I know I’m tired so let’s get this over with shall we?”

_“You know why we’re here in Oshimai, right?”_ Saiki asks, turning to you. You shrug.

“Because I was forced to be here?”

Saiki sighs. “ _Well, partly. Let me explain_.”

That’s when he dropped the bomb on you.

Kusuo had attempted to prevent the chain of eruptions. Suppressing the eruption would only cause another eruption elsewhere. So he used Aiura’s power to predict the new location. He created clones or doubles of himself and suppressed the eruptions as they changed locations. However, he got hungry, and they failed. He turned back time and decided to ask for Reita’s help, providing even more problems than solutions. Saiki eventually decided that the missing piece to the puzzle was you.

The third time’s the charm, right?

Well… the third time that you know of. There were dozens of loops and failed attempts at this point. But I don’t need to tell you that – surely you’ve read the manga or watched the anime by now?

Anyway, the plan this time around was to have your brother Reita stand in as Saiki to keep the group busy. His only job was to pretend to be Saiki and make sure they didn’t come near the rest of the world-saviors group.

You stood slack-jawed and in shock, listening as they devised the new plan while you were having an internal existential crisis.

“Are you sure it’s safe to let that idiot act as your stand-in, Kusuo?” Airua questioned, shooting you a sympathetic look. “No offense.”

No offense? To what? You weren’t listening. You were too busy thinking about _the end of the world!_

_“He’s an idiot, but he can get things done. It should be fine.”_

Reita gasped. “Hey! I’m right here!!”

_“I want Aiura to predict the new locations just like our past two attempts. In advance.”_

“In advance? That might be too tough. If we don’t stop the first eruption, I can’t see the future.” 

_“You should as long as we plan to stop it. I’ll give you ten of my clones tomorrow. The future should change just by having a clone at the first eruption site. Then we’ll have a clone at each of the eruption sites. When you place them, start at the location furthest from me.”_

“Alright! Then what will you be doing in the meantime, Kusuo?”

_“I’ll be standing by. If I get injured, it would effect the rest of the clones.”_

“So what’s the goal here?”

_“Disrupt the eruptions into multiple small ones. While stopping the eruptions, absorb the magma and teleport it in small batches. It should be possible with ten clones.”_

Reita raised a hand. “Where would we teleport the magma?”

_“Into space.”_

“Woah woah, okay, hold up, reverse, back up, cha cha real smooth…” You took a step back from the group, heart racing. “ _The world is going to end_?! But you’re planning on stopping it?” You took a deep breath as they all nodded, seemingly in calm agreement about this. “So… why am I here?!”

So, now here you were, standing beside Saiki as one of his clones bent down, preparing to stop an eruption from happening right in front of you. Aiura was coming up behind you, with dire news. “I can’t see past eruption seven!!”

_“That’s fine.”_

You still didn’t know why you were here. Facing death head on. Hoping that Saiki could stop it lest be thrown into a time loop and potentially forget everything that had happened to you. Your moments and priceless memories with Saiki…

With Kusuo.

_“Here it comes.”_

You instinctually grabbed on to Saiki’s arm, hiding behind him and trembling as the ground shook and light shone from cracks in the ground as Saiki’s clone held back the eruption.

_“This may not hold!”_ His clone announced, a breath escaping you. 

“What?! Are you serious?! We’re out of clones, what should we do?” Aiura sweat dropped.

“I don’t care if you’re going to reset time; I don’t want a version of me to know what being boiled alive feels like!!” You yelled over the grumbling of the ground.

_“Don’t worry.”_ Saiki placed his hand over yours, calming you with a small smile. _“I won’t let that happen.” You_ let go of him. _“Not again.”_

You blinked, the words registering as he walked away from you. “Wait… AGAIN!?!”

Aiura grabbed on to you, dropping to her knees from the shaking ground. The two of you watched hopefully as Saiki walked forward, joining his clone in stopping the eruption. _“We’ll end this today. This great eruption and this time loop.”_ Your heart tried to jump out of your chest as Saiki’s hair flew back as he used the most power you had ever seen from him. His concentration was immense. It took your breath away. _“Time… move forward!!!”_

After what felt like hours, the shaking stopped. Your stomach churned with motion sickness and Aiura clung to you for dear life, suffocating the air out of you. She gradually released her grip, standing on shaky legs, leaving you on the ground to nearly vomit as she whispered. “It stopped.”

Glancing up, you see Saiki collapsed on his back. “Saiki!” Doing your best despite not being able to see straight, you jumped to your feet and ran over to Saiki, effectively falling into the dirt next to him. “Are you okay?!”

His skin was burnt, and his hair was a mess. But most importantly, there was a smile on his face. “I’m fine. The eruption stopped.” He paused, taking a deep breath. “Time is moving forward again.”

You let out a breath you didn’t realize you had been holding. Aiura ran over to the two of you, bending over Saiki with a beet-red face and blinked down at Saiki. “Can I kiss you?”

You let out a breathy chuckle as Saiki immediately responded with an exasperated “No.”

Your forehead laid on the dirt as you tried to push back your motion sickness. Aiura opened her mouth to ask for a hug then, when Saiki pulled you off the ground, hugging you instead. With a single touch of a finger to your head, your nausea was gone and you could see straight again.

_“Good grief.”_

You heard footsteps approaching over Aiura’s cries and felt Saiki tense. Turning your head, your heart skipped a beat as you saw the whole gang; Aren, Nendou, Chiyo, Kaido, Teruhashi, Mera, and Hairo… standing there with various shocked expressions on their faces.

Kaido glanced between you and Saiki with a pale look on his already pale face. “What’s going on? What are you doing, Saiki?”

Silence. You sat up, taking a few deep breaths to clear your head as you turned to Saiki. His eyes met yours. You knew him well enough to know he was playing out the scenarios in his head. Like, “Should I tell them? Wouldn’t that ruin their trust in me? How could I lie? Would they accept “no answer” as an answer? Or is that too much like saying “nobody is home” after someone knocks on your front door?” All expected and understandable reactions.

Aiura tugged at her hair. “Why are you here?!”

A bashful, ashamed Reita moved out from behind the group. Kaido pointed him out. “Why are there two Saikis?!”

You grimaced. Oh yeah… Reita looked like Saiki right now. _“I overused your catchphrase at first, but it wasn’t actually my fault that they ended up here.”_

Saiko stomped forward, announcing his presence. “Hey! What are you doing out here? Why are there two of you?”

Your attention was drawn to a helicopter that you had failed to notice before while your ears were ringing. Saiki sighed. _“I see. That’s how it is. This is really ‘good grief’. I was so focused on the eruption that I didn’t notice. We were seen from above.”_

You shook your head. _“No, it’s my fault. I was here for backup surveillance, wasn’t I? I got too sick to keep an eye out…”_

Saiki was silent for a moment before replying. _“No, it wouldn’t have mattered. I couldn’t exactly stop what I was doing even if I had known about them.”_

“Hey, Saiki! Explain to us why there are two of you!” Kaido burst out loud, unable to contain his confusion any longer.

“What were you doing holding the ground like that?!” Aren joined in, his eyebrows knitted together tightly.

Chiyo piped up, a blush on her face. “Why were you hugging (Y/N)?”

Teruhashi’s face was also red as she added “W-What’s your relationship with her?”

Your voice failed you and your face heated up as Saiki stood, pulling you up with him, but made no effort to release his grip around you. _“That shouldn’t be the focus.”_ Saiki shook his head as the group continued to hurl questions at the same time, unable to distinguish between them. _“Good grief. Now what to do?”_

Reita put his hands on his hips. _“Let me handle it.”_

“Okay, I’ll come clean.” Reita-disguised-as-Saiki announced, elbowing Saiki in the ribs. “We’re twins!”

Shocked expressions were heard from the group, more questions being thrown about. You could tell Saiki was just getting used to the idea when his clones showed up, drawing everyone’s attention. “Um, we’re gunna take off now. Since we finished the job. Call us if you need us again. See ya!”

You could almost hear the crickets chirping after that.

“Um, uh…” Reita stammered. “We’re sextuplets!”

_“Now that’s too far of a stretch.”_

“Cut it out!!” Kaido yelled. The group went quiet as his hands balled into fists and his teeth clenched. “Just tell us the truth! We’re friends, aren’t we? At least, you are to me. Even after…” He glanced over you and fixed his gaze on Saiki. “I trust you, and I want you to trust me! Don’t keep secrets from us!”

Your gaze softened. “Oh, Kaido…”

Teruhashi nodded, stepping forward. “Nothing you say could make us hate you.”

You turned to Saiki, and he turned to you. You showed off a half-smile. He knew what you were thinking, and he knew he should just tell them. But he was uncomfortable with that, and you supported him in his decision to keep it a secret. He turned to the group and held his chin high.

_“I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you. Not yet, anyway.”_

Kaido stepped forward, his shoulders dropping. “Saiki! Tell us---”

“That’s totally fine.” You opened your mouth to stop him when your best friend’s voice spoke up for the first time since this all started. The big oaf, the lovable idiot. He had a big smile on his face and had a hand on Kaido’s shoulder. “You don’t have to say if you don’t wanna.”

You smiled. “Nendou…”

“I’m stupid so I don’t really get it. But if whatever he says isn’t gonna change our relationship, then there’s no need. Even with a few secrets, a partner’s still a partner. Is it friendship to force him to reveal his secret?” Everyone seemed to calm down, their expressions relaxing and their heads slowly nodding. “I’ll wait until you’re ready. Isn’t that what a real friend would do?”

Hairo slapped Nendou on the back. “I agree. Secrets don’t necessarily mean there’s no trust. Some secrets stem out of care and consideration for others.”

Kaido was just about to blow another gasket when Chiyo, blush-cheeked and doe eyed, came up to him. “I like you, Kaido. I’ve always liked you.” Your eyes went wide as she confessed, Kaido’s face turning redder than a tomato. “I thought if I told you, it might be a burden for you.” She turned to Teruhashi, with a knowing gaze. “There are some things you can’t say even if you trust and love them.”

You sighed with relief as everyone began agreeing with Nendou, expressing their friendship in their newfound trust for Saiki’s decision. You felt Saiki’s grip around you tighten ever so slightly, and as you looked up you saw his expression change from worry to a genuine smile. Your eyes sparkled as his mouth opened, and real words came out. “Good grief. You guys are such a handful.”

“Oh, I feel like I’m hearing your voice for the first time.” Nendou questioned, tilting his head like a cat.

Teruhashi hummed. “I think I know what you mean. I think it’s because this might be the first time we’ve ever seen him smile…”

You burst out laughing as everyone started to poke fun at Saiki. You leaned into him, finally returning the hug from earlier. Now everyone could go home, go back to school tomorrow, and finally move forward with their lives.

It’s just too bad you won’t be there to see it play out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You lucky people are going to get a bonus chapter because it didn’t fit in this one xD This is already obscenely long and took forever to get to you, and for that last part I apologize (again). But… I have a question for you! Would you like me to create separate endings for each character, or leave it open for one big ending? Or maybe I could do both; for whatever suits your fancy? I’m leaning towards two endings, one big and one individual one. Let me know what you think and until then…
> 
> Next Time: Be Kind and Rewind… Saiki’s POV! And finally, the end: Confessions cut short


	7. Saiki Kusuo - Part 5-2 (Finale)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Looking back, the psychic realizes he has some feelings to attend to...

_ **Saiki's POV** _

That day during phy-ed. When Nendou removed my control device. 

That’s where it all started.

 _“Why did you help me?”_

A natural question to ask of someone you barely knew, who just saved you from exposing your powers to half the school. This girl knew of my powers, and this made her dangerous. 

“What else was I supposed to do? Do nothing and give up a perfect excuse to ditch the rest of the sports festival? No way!”

I had tried to stay away from her, but as she sat down with her lunch in a hidden area of the school grounds, she captivated my curiosity.

Toritsuka (Y/N).

The world’s biggest mystery.

She went out of her way to get me out of school for the rest of the day. She even accompanied me home to make sure nobody got in my way. She made fun of me when I tried to teleport but couldn’t, and yet I had invited her into my house that afternoon without even a second thought.

I don’t like not knowing things. And (Y/N)… she’s a total mystery. Her thoughts are always kind. She never thinks anything negative, unless it’s frustration towards Retia, Teruhashi, or Kusuke. I have met plenty of people in my life and read all their minds. No one has come close to being this… this… look at me, I can’t even find the word to describe her. There is not a single word that can encompass everything she is.

Let’s go back for example, shall we?

\------------------------------

I pinched the bridge of my nose. Usually I could tune out the voices, almost like a white noise. Like the constant ringing in your ears that you don’t really notice is there until someone points it out… just a little louder. But (Y/N)’s mind had been playing the same song over and over and over and over…

Kaido’s family has Disney plus, so when _Hamilton_ was dropped (Y/N) had gone over immediately to take advantage. She loved the music from the soundtrack and wanted to see the movie the second it was available. She was also a bit of a hopeless romantic, observing from the books she read and the anime OTP’s that frequented her mind. Anyway, for a reason unknown to me, her mind got stuck on the song “Helpless”. It wasn’t annoying to listen to, it was a good song I suppose. Yet when the third day came around and it was still playing in her head, it began to stick out from the crowd of voices and got louder. And louder.

I began hearing it in my sleep. Even when (Y/N) wasn’t around, the song followed me. It was like a virus, and it had spread. It was relentless like a flu. Every time you thought you were getting better it came back. After the second week, I was forced to wear my germanium ring to school. I couldn’t take it any longer.

When it was time for lunch, she even startled me. I should have seen her coming. After all, we go to lunch together at the same time every day.

She seemed interested in the ring. I took it off to let her look at it and quell her curiosity. I will never forget the look of shock on her face when I told (Y/N) it was her fault I was wearing it.

_“You’ve been playing the same song in your head for 16 days straight. That’s 384 hours… approximately 5,769 repeats.”_

She grimaced, looking guilty. 

(Y/N) knew my powers and yet forgot about them so often. Almost as if they didn’t matter. They didn’t affect our friendship. She didn’t treat my powers like some sort of blessing or a handicap. Like how the gaang always forgets that Toph is blind in _Avatar the Last Airbender_. 

Was she going to be a Zuko in this metaphor? Here, to take me on a life changing adventure?

(Y/N) is _amusing_.

\------------------------

I sat in front of the television, holding back audible sighs as I missed another quick-time event on this bottom-of-the-barrel video game. The graphics weren’t any good, but I had learned to overlook that in many great video games. Take _Undertale_ for example. 8-bit style with one of the best storylines of all time! 

No, that wasn’t the problem. Every time I died in this video game, I got sent back to the beginning. I was forced to listen to the prologue over and over when I chose the “wrong” interactions or missed a QTE. Which was a real bummer, since the story was actually decent. My frustration was eased, however, by the presence of (Y/N). She was sitting next to me on the floor, watching and munching on some chips as I played my video game. She had dropped by unexpectedly, but I didn’t mind. Which was odd. I never liked company.

I must have had more patience than her, because after about two hours of restarts she abandoned the floor in favor of my bed. I assumed she would just take a nap, since there was nothing better to do. I was focused on the game for another half hour before I realized what she was doing.

Pausing the game, I focused on her thoughts. (Y/N) was creating her own version of the game in her imagination. I could almost see the imagery; her mental depictions were so clear. I ended up giving up on the video game, turning and listening to her mind as if she were speaking to me. Her made-up story for the game was a million times more interesting than the actual game. She even wove together multiple choices, exploring both branches of the story, and coming to a grand finale of a conclusion that left things open for a sequel! I didn’t even realize I had leaned in so close, elbows leaning on the bed and eyes fixed on her as if I was watching a movie. Which, I kind of was, it was just a mental one. Straight from her imagination.

I was broken from my trance when she sat up, glancing at me with a funny look. 

“Did you finish your game? How was it?”

How do I explain what I was doing? Sorry, I was tuning in to the (Y/N) channel? Would that be too weird? _“I gave up on the game hours ago.”_

(Y/N)’s hands fidgeted in her lap. “Then… how long were you… staring at me?”

I felt like I had chosen the wrong dialogue in a video game, wishing for it to send me back to the beginning so I could try again… a phrase I never thought I would say, especially after that disaster of a game. Guess the only option is to come clean or risk looking like a pervert. I sighed. _“I wasn’t staring. I was listening.”_

I explained that her imagination was the most interesting thing I’ve listened to in a long time. I found myself smiling at the end of my explanation, forcing myself to return my lips to a neutral position. I couldn’t wait for more of this story. _“Lay back down. I need the sequel immediately.”_

That story sparked something in me similar to coffee jelly. I couldn’t help myself. How does one woman hold this much power in just her mind?

I tried to get her to stay after supper to whip up the sequel, but she insisted that she get some sleep for school. Then she had plans for the day after, so we didn’t have enough time then, either.

Good grief. I just wanted that sequel!

(Y/N) was _creative and imaginative._

\--------------

(Y/N) had been busier than usual the last month. She had mentioned getting a part time job so she could afford some things she’s wanted, but I couldn’t help but feel like she was hiding something. Which, being a mind reader, is hard to do. Keep secrets from me. Yet she managed to accomplish this very task.

I was hiding in my room on Christmas day, hoping everyone would forget about me. I was standing, wondering what to wear just in case I was forced to socialize, when a knock rang at my door. I took a deep breath, unable to tell who it was due to the overload of thoughts in such a proximity. I glanced out the side of my vision to see (Y/N) poke her head in. I exhaled, relieved it wasn’t my mom here to yell at me to come down nor Teruhashi who would have probably locked herself in here with me, which would be worse than going downstairs.

 _“Which one would annoy Teruhashi more?”_ The giggle that came out of (Y/N)’s mouth when I asked was adorable, even to someone like me. She pointed to one of the two sweatshirts that were hanging in front of me. 

“That one! It’s _hideous_.” She emphasized the ‘hideous’ with wide eyes and an inflated gesture. “You could win an ugly sweater contest with that.”

_“Alright. Ugly red and green it is.”_

After I pulled on the sweatshirt, (Y/N) confronted me with a peculiar question. “Do you know what your present from me is?”

I tried to read her thoughts, but she was purposefully filling it with random things. I squinted, catching on to her trick. “ _No, and I have a feeling you’re trying to throw me off track on purpose.”_

She clapped her hands with a little jump in her step. “Would it be possible if you could not use your x-ray vision on the gifts? It’s been so hard keeping it a secret from you and as long as you don’t know what it is, I’d love to keep it that way!”

It was then I realized how much effort she put into her appearance. Her expression was animated and her eyes were bright. A flattering lip stain was painted neatly on her lips and her lashes were a little longer than usual. She was cute today. Just an observation. I’m allowed to make observations. 

Anyway, to say she was excited was an understatement. How could I say no to that?

I walked over to the drawer where I kept my germanium ring. “ _Fine. I’ll even wear this so you don’t have to think so hard. It’s a little loud with this many people anyway.”_

Her smile widened, which I didn’t even think was possible. “Thanks Saiki!”

We moved to the living area, where I was greeted by an angry Teruhashi. The blue haired maiden felt threatened by (Y/N), even though the boys at school paid no attention to her. It was solely because Teruhashi thought she wanted me, and (Y/N) was closer to me than she was. I had to listen to Teruhashi’s ugly thoughts about my friend every day at school. I was starting to really hate Teruhashi because of it, and I usually don’t care enough to hate people, so my dislike for her is great. Especially when she stole (Y/N)’s seat on the couch, that I tried to save specifically for her. Now, (Y/N) was being hit on by Kaido. He was a nice kid, but the interaction was making Chiyo foam at the mouth. I didn’t need any fights to break out in my house. My parents would make me fix everything later with my powers and I would rather to anything else, honestly. 

After we had supper, the group exchanged gifts. I didn’t care to buy anyone any gifts, and I didn’t really care about any of the gifts given to me. I was only looking forward to the money my parents were going to give me, and one gift. Teruhashi bought me a gift card to a bakery I’d heard about. It’s known around our area for having the best coffee jellies. The price was a little steep for me to justify going in and trying it before, but now I would be able to. There was enough on the card for three, maybe four coffee jellies. Maybe I could bring (Y/N) for one of those if they’re good? Teruhashi would be mad to know I shared my gift. That sounds like a good idea.

Before I knew it, there was only one present left in the room. It was sitting against the wall behind the Christmas tree. (Y/N) was looking at me with a wide grin. She pointed to the final present as if everybody wasn’t already looking at it. “That one’s for you.”

I said I was looking forward to only one gift, but that was out of the gifts I already knew I was getting. Of course (Y/N)’s gift was the most intriguing of the bunch. I had been wracking my brain over what she could have possibly gotten me and managed to keep a secret at the same time. When she made no effort to get it for me, I sighed and got up, pulling the present into the center of the room. I saw (Y/N) hopping in place from excitement. I rolled my eyes at the choice of wrapping paper. It was pink and white, matching my hair and control devices. She surely picked it out on purpose. Goof grief. Even without knowing what it was, I could tell she put a lot of thought and effort into it. Now I felt guilty for not getting her anything.

I slowly unwrapped the paper. I wanted to rip it off and see what was inside, but everyone else was reveling in the suspense. I was so focused making the reveal interesting for everyone else that it wasn’t until I had taken off all the paper that I realized that was on the box previously hidden underneath.

It was a TV. It. Was. A. TV. It was the most basic and psychic-friendly model, a few inches bigger than my current screen and even high definition color! I would no longer have to wake up at the crack of dawn to reset my television anymore! And, now with my Christmas money, I could afford the newest model of my coffee jelly machine!

There were no words to express my gratitude. My feet nearly moved on their own as I went straight for one of these human embraces called “hugging”. I don’t like close-contact, but my mother gives me a lot of them. (Y/N)’s heart was beating so fast I thought she was going to explode. Maybe I was hugging too tightly? I was not familiar with returning or giving these gestures.

Before I could release (Y/N) I felt her arms return the hug and squeeze the air out of me. Her voice was muffled, but I could hear the smile behind it. “Merry Christmas!”

As soon as she released me, I took the television upstairs and started exchanging it with my old one. I wasted no time throwing that old piece of garbage into the dumpster. I also could take off my germanium ring…

I came back downstairs, deep in thought for what I could possibly give (Y/N) as a last-minute gift, to see her giving out hugs to everyone as they were ready to leave. Thank goodness. I could hear Teruhashi having conflicted thoughts about (Y/N), and Kaido silently hoping he could hold back his happy tears over his presents from (Y/N) until he got out of sight, Nendou having an internal crisis as he tried to crack the code to his 20Questions handheld game, and… all the happy thoughts from (Y/N).

There wasn’t a negative thought on her mind.

How did she manage to continue being so upbeat? Even after Teruhashi had tried to out-shine her with her expensive gifts?

_“I’m glad everyone enjoyed their gifts! Teruhashi’s presents were amazing too! I wish I was able to save more money, then I could have gotten everyone all the gifts I wanted to give them! No matter: I can just start saving for next Christmas! This part time job was a life saver. Maybe I can consider it year-round?”_

I couldn’t understand it. She preferred being by herself. She preferred the peace and quiet of a good book over a group outing. And yet, she put herself through her least favorite activity, _optional work,_ just to pay for _optional_ presents, and somehow enjoyed the act of giving so much with no expectation of anything in return… that she was going to do it _again_?

I thought I knew the human mental process better than this. Yet, (Y/N)… I couldn’t figure her out.

I know! Brilliant! I was going to use my New Year’s money to buy a new coffee jelly machine… so why don’t I give (Y/N) my old one? 

I glanced between her and the machine. I knew it would be a week before the New Year sales started. Maybe I could hold on to the machine and give it to her as a New Years gift? No, nobody does that. Besides, I felt… embarrassed… that I didn’t get her anything beforehand.

I cursed at myself as my ears turned red. I dug through the trash and grabbed the big bow that was stuck to my present and reattached it to the coffee jelly machine. (Y/N) was more important than this machine, right? That’s what friends are supposed to do. Besides, I was getting a new one in a few days. No big deal.

I overheard her thoughts again as the clock struck midnight. (Y/N) was packing her presents into bags and I could almost feel the pain in her heart. _“This was the best Christmas ever. I wish it didn’t have to end.”_

Good grief.

I approached (Y/N) just as she was going to pick up her things. I had the coffee jelly maker in my arms, holding it out to her as she turned around and gasped. She stared at me for a moment, her eyes wide. “Saiki, I can’t accept this!”

I insisted that she take it. _“I was planning to spend my New Year’s money on a TV. Thanks to you, I can get the newest model of the jelly maker instead.”_

Tears pricked at her eyes. My heart swelled with something. Pride? No. Admiration? Maybe. Happiness? Definitely. I couldn’t bring myself to look into her teary eyes as I added, “You make better coffee jelly with this than I do anyway.” I could see her joy from the corner of my eyes. It was still too much!

Is this the feeling she got when giving her gifts?

Maybe I could get used to this whole Christmas exchange thing.

She ended up compromising with me, saying she could come get the jelly maker when I got my new one. She didn’t want me exchanging it with anything from the temple and couldn’t carry it home with all her other stuff today, anyway.

As I saw her off, she paused and turned to me, bags in hand. 

“You’re my best friend, you know that Saiki?”

I froze at what she said. I could only nod.

Someone like me. Her best friend?

She grinned from ear to ear. “Good!” Turning her back to me, she started her walk home. “Don’t you ever forget it!”

_ (Y/N) is thoughtful. _

\----------------------------

The first time I remember feeling my heart flutter around (Y/N) was during the cockroach incident. Which, to be fair, could have been from the cockroach.

Or the fact that I sent her plummeting two stories down into a jungle pool.

My parents were gone on vacation to visit my grandparents, so I took the opportunity to clean the house. She had stopped by with a batch of her famous coffee jelly and stuck around to help, not that I needed it. I appreciated the company though, knowing what little 6 legged creatures lived in the house with me. That was, until she started trying to scare me with little bits of garbage, throwing them at me and pretending they were bugs. Until, one of them _was_ a bug.

Turns out, she was just as afraid of bugs as I am.

I instinctually teleported us to a random location. A tropical jungle outcropping overlooking a waterfall and crystal-clear pond below. (Y/N) was annoyingly clinging to me for dear life until I told her to let go of me, which, in hindsight, was a stupid idea considering we were in the middle of nowhere.

She walked over to the ledge and looked down into the pool below. I stood with my arms crossed, contemplating what to do about the cockroach back home when she shrieked. My eyes followed her gaze and landed on a gigantic spider, and just as she started falling backwards I once again instinctually teleported away. This time, by myself, to a desert. 

That’s when I felt it.

I remembered the drop into the water below. I had teleported so fast I barely realized she was even falling. Scrambling I teleported back to her, diving down using my flying powers and crashing into the water below. I heard her mentally cry out for me just as my hand grabbed her wrist. I used the quick contact to teleport us back to someplace familiar.

In hindsight, maybe the middle of her temple living room was a bad idea.

Water pooled around the two of us as Reita’s screams filled my ears. We had interrupted one of his “sessions” with his beloved magazines.

I looked down at (Y/N) with a racing heart. She coughed and groaned, taking deep breaths and mentally cursing the spider. I swallowed hard. I was lucky to have remembered where she was on the map, or I wouldn’t have been able to save her. I couldn’t imagine what I would have done if anything had happened to her. How she didn’t hit a rock or break a bone hitting the water from that high up, I will never know.

And yet, none of her thoughts held any anger towards me. Only gratefulness. She didn’t find fault in my reaction and didn’t hold me responsible for nearly falling to her death, in which I _entirely was responsible_. Instead, she was thanking me for saving her.

All I could do in my relief and guilt was apologize. _“Sorrry. I panicked.”_

_ (Y/N) was non-judgmental and forgiving. _

\--------------------------------------

_Good grief._

First, I show up to the Halloween party, not knowing I was supposed to dress up. Then (Y/N) cuts herself on… well, I’m still not sure what, but she did it while searching for a costume for me in Kaido’s stuff. Then I steal the United Kingdom’s Crown Jewels straight from a museum just to make (Y/N)’s vision of me being a king for Halloween a reality. Then, after a long night of movies, candy, and socialization, she tries to walk home without a coat.

 _“You’re going to catch a cold.”_ I muttered, draping my cape over her shoulders. The museum’s cape. The United Kingdom’s cape. The details don’t matter.

She hummed at the action. I’m sure it was warm form being on my back all day, and now it could warm up hers. I’ll be fine, Saiki.” She smiled. “Thank you.”

I found myself walking slower the closer we got to my house. The last block took longer than the entire walk across town. I don’t know why I did that. Maybe it was to match her pace? It wasn’t a conscious decision, that much I know. Around (Y/N), my mind was free. The voices around me quieted down and her silence was all I could focus on. She was quaint, quiet, tranquil.

Peaceful.

When we finally reached the gate to my house, she tried to give me back the cape. I raised a hand, stopping her. _“Keep it. I can give it ba… I mean, I can get it back from you tomorrow.”_ Whoops. I had almost confessed to stealing a priceless artifact. I wonder if she had any idea how much that cape was worth?

She chuckled lightly. “You really do make a good king.”

_“As you made a good queen today.”_

Why did I say that? It just slipped out of my mouth. Surely that would make her uncomfortable… should I turn back time?

She waved a hand in the air and scoffed. “I wasn’t a queen. I was Hestia! A _goddess_ , mind you!”

(Y/N) bared her teeth in a wide smile. Even I couldn’t help but chuckle at that reaction. Nothing should surprise me with her anymore.

_“Good grief. A goddess, then.”_

Calling her a queen did nothing. Yet when I called her a goddess, like the wonderful, perfect person she was, she seemed to melt. When I originally said these things, I didn’t mean anything my them. But now, looking back… I think it was the start of me realizing that (Y/N) might be more than a friend.

I overheard her thoughts. _“How am I going to walk home now?! Nobody’s called me that before! I certainly don’t deserve that title when there’s a living breathing goddess like Teruhashi walking these streets…”_

I cracked a small smile. I found myself doing that a lot, around her. Smiling.

_ (Y/N) is humble. _

\-------------------------------

Good grief. I can’t believe my last day of summer vacation is over before it even starts. Worse yet is that I’m forced to spend it with…

_“I can’t believe it. Who would bring someone else on a date?!”_

Teruhashi.

_“According to my plan, I was going to make him gasp three times on the roller coaster, seven times in the haunted house, and 38 times on the ferris wheel. But now it’s all ruined!”_

I’m so glad I brought Yuuta. We would completely stand out walking together at a place like this without him. Where are we exactly? An amusement park… if you couldn’t tell by miss annoying’s thoughts. We already have people gathering around us as though we are park characters. Well, there is no point in complaining about this. 

What I did want to complain about was how on the last day of school, (Y/N)’s idiotic perverted brother somehow got me roped me into a million different activities that I had cleverly, and almost successfully, tried to avoid. I didn’t get a single day to myself all summer, and (Y/N) must have been busy as well because I haven’t seen her nor gotten a delivery of coffee jelly all summer either. It shocked me to admit how much I missed her clever thoughts. And the coffee jelly. I’ve been so busy I haven’t even had the chance to check up on her. Today, however, I knew there was a chance I would run into her _._

If you remember, I witnessed the incident between Teruhashi, Saiko, and (Y/N). 

_“Do you not recognize your own beauty?” Saiko had said with a pout. “Don’t tell me that you, too, already love someone?”_

(Y/N) had run off and disappeared before I could ask her what was wrong. That entire afternoon I skipped class, wandering the halls in invisibility mode, searching for (Y/N) and pondering Saiko’s words that he had confronted me with moments after (Y/N) and Teruhashi had fled from Saiko’s presence.

_“I will not lose to a sullen peon like you!”_

I will admit when I’m confused. That confrontation had me confused. Even more so, after I had come to the conclusion that (Y/N) wasn’t in love with Kaido, and most certainly not with Nendou…

That left _me._

Which truly took me by surprise. I didn’t believe the thought, at the time. It had to be impossible. Falling in love with your best friend is something that only happens in fanfiction. And I would feel most upset if I couldn’t reciprocate the emotion. She was my best friend, after all.

But after I found (Y/N) talking to Kaido that day by the lockers, an hour past school closing, her thoughts begging the pale-blue-haired boy not to confess an undying love she couldn’t reciprocate, I started to reconsider the idea. I stayed hidden, even though I wanted to heal her sprained ankle.

The sight of her limping figure made my soul hurt. I wanted to help her, but I hesitated. I felt like I was somehow responsible, even though that wasn’t true. Then I overheard it. (Y/N)’s thoughts to Kaido’s invitation to the amusement park.

_“That would be the perfect opportunity to get Saiki’s face and my confused feelings off my mind!”_

I had meant to check up on (Y/N) soon after, but like I said, my entire summer was booked. I had hoped to catch a glimpse or a thought of her, but all was silent. My hopes were high that she might save me from this “date” with…

Teruhashi put on her best kind voice and bent down to talk to Yuuta, breaking me out of my inner world before I could take the time to use my clairvoyance and pinpoint (Y/N)’s location. “Would you like to go on the go-carts, Yuuta?” He shook his head. “Then, the coffee shop?” He shook his head again. “Or maybe the roller coaster?” Still no. Teruhashi mentally face-palmed. “What exactly did you come here for, then?!”

The hero show. Duh.

Teruhashi was fuming. Almost visibly so. _“This is a family outing, not a date!”_

I admit, I cracked a teeny tiny smile when Teruhashi was pulled up on stage and humiliated. One would think it would bring her self-esteem down just a smidge, but alas, God loves her so. Yuuta enjoyed the event, even though I was forced to take over because Cider Man Remune had been defeated. I’ve had Teruhashi clinging to me ever since. It was making my skin crawl.

Suddenly an inner voice nearby stood out from the others. _Kaido?_

_“I’m so happy that Nendou and Kuboyasu already had plans!! Well, not that I’ll admit to asking them last minute, but now I have (Y/n)-chan all to myself! I could almost scream!”_

You are screaming. Quiet down a little.

I paused. Kaido mentioned you. Were you hanging out with Kaido all summer and that’s why you were too busy to bring him coffee jelly? I scrunched my eyebrows and frowned. Why did that bother me so much? You had a life to live just like I did. Just because you spent most of it with me before now doesn’t mean anything. After all, I had been busy all summer too.

Teruhashi was pulling on my arm towards a photo booth when I blinked and saw a familiar (Hair color/length) in the crowd. I internally brightened up for just a moment before I saw you walking next to Kaido, almost touching shoulders. I grimaced again. _Why does this bother me so much? If she had been with Nendou or in a group I would not care. But she’s with him, alone…_

Now that I thought about it, I hadn’t gotten any texts from (Y/N) either. She was usually one to wake me up at three in the morning with a trivia fact she just learned on pinterest or with another world-shattering “hits blunt” post. Like the one that asked if Mike Wazowski blinked or winked. I thought I hated those random messages because they woke me up, but now I was starting to think otherwise. Did I really miss her that much that I was beginning to get jealous?

Absurd.

“Saikkkkiiii, let’s take a photo together!” Teruhashi beamed up at me. I sighed, shooting her my annoying face, thinking that would get her to chill out. Instead Yuuta piped up, sealing my fate.

“That’s a great idea! I’d love a picture of me with my two superhero friends!”

I rolled my eyes as Teruhashi’s face dropped. Her inner thoughts were a hiss _. “I wanted a picture with Saiki alone, you little cretin! Oh well. A picture with Saiki is still a picture, but I sure hate this kid!”_

After enduring a grueling whole minute inside a cramped box with Teruhashi and a child who jumped around like a flea, the two began fighting over the images, trying to decide who got which ones.

“I want this one because I’m next to Saiki!” Teruhashi boldly stated.

“No, I want that one because I’m sitting on Cyborg Cider Man 2’s lap!” Yuuta demanded with a screech.

“What about this one? You’re on Peach Tea Girl’s lap…”

“But Cyborg Cider Man 2 isn’t really in focus in that one!”

“That’s your fault for kicking him!”

I just stood off to the side with my arms crossed, waiting for them to sort themselves out. I seriously contemplated sneaking off, but that would mean Teruhashi would be solely responsible for Yuuta, and everyone knew that was a bad idea.

Either way, what happened next I can’t decide if my prayers were answered or if it was God playing another cruel joke on me.

“Saiki!”

I recognized the voice immediately. I whipped my head around towards the sound. I blinked and saw (Y/N) standing there with a wide smile. A bag of cotton candy dangled from her hand and a pair of cat ears sat atop her head. Kaido held a stuffed (favorite animal) in his hand as he stood next to her. (Y/N)’s eyes sparkled and she had a slight flush of red dusting her cheeks. She was…

Beautiful.

Teruhashi gave up on the pictures and let Yuuta take them, standing tall to greet the two classmates. “Oh, Toritsuka and Kaido! How lovely to run into you!”

I overheard Teruhashi’s real opinion. _“Of course it’s (Y/n)! My biggest rival! This is just great!”_

_Rival?_

“O-oh wow! Teruashi-san!” Kaido stammered.

“Likewise!” (Y/n) kindly bowed slightly. “Are you guy’s enjoying the park?”

“Very much!” 

_Liar._

Teruhashi smirked. “So, are you two on a date?”

I watched the light leave Kaido’s eyes as (Y/N) shook her head. “Nah. We invited Riki and Aren but they couldn’t make it, so it’s just us!”

“Oh, well you two should make it into one! You’d be cute together.” Teruhashi stated as innocently as her dainty features allowed. My jaw clenched and my shoulders stiffened. Again, why did that bother me so much?

(Y/N) and Kaido’s faces both flushed bright red and they started muttering gibberish to change the subject. They only stopped when Teruhashi boldly stated, “Well, I only say that because I’m here on a date with Saiki-kun!”

 _“It’s definitely not a date.”_ I scoffed as I telepathically stated to (Y/N) and broke eye contact. Good grief. This was embarrassing.

Kaido raised an eyebrow and pointed at the little tyke. “But, why did you bring Yuuta then?”

Teruhashi opened her mouth to respond but couldn’t find an answer. Instead a lightbulb went off in her head and a new idea came to her mind. Good grief, what is she planning now…

“Well then how about we switch! (Y/N) can hang out with Saiki for a while, and you and I can hang out, Kaido-kun!” Teruhashi’s inner thoughts once again revealed her true intentions. _“This way, Saiki will be forced to realize how madly in love with me he is when he sees this idiot fawning all over me!”_

Ah. The old jealousy tactic. And how is that supposed to work exactly? Literally everyone fawns over you every day and yet I still don’t care.

I moved over to stand by (Y/N)’s side faster than Kaido could object. I could hear the poor kid’s thoughts. I almost felt bad for him.

_“A date with Teruhashi!! Not many people can say they’ve been on a date with Teruhashi... but my heart belongs to (Y/N). I had a plan to confess to her later too… that’s alright! The night’s still young! I have plenty of time to do both!”_

Did he have no shame? Pick one, you buffoon.

Kaido glanced over to (Y/N) before quickly asking. “It could be fun! I wouldn’t mind, as long as it’s okay with you?”

Saiki sighed with relief. He would finally be free of Teruhashi…

“Nonsense! Let’s just all hang out together! Besides, if we split up who would watch Yuuta? It wouldn’t be fair.” She offered with a smile, reaching into her bag of cotton candy and stuffing a wad into her mouth.

Good grief. I underestimated (Y/N)’s kindness once again.

I could also hear Teruhashi’s anger boiling up inside her. _“That girl! I work every day of my life to be perfect and she just radiates it like it’s easy!”_

 _That’s why I like (Y/N) and not you. (Y/N) is actually kind. You just act like it._ I felt my cheeks flush at the thought. (Y/N) bumped her shoulder into mine playfully. 

_Did I just admit to liking (Y/N)?_

I pushed the thought away. Of course I like her. She’s my best friend.

As Kaido and Teruhashi started listing ideas on what to do next, (Y/N) thought loudly to me. _“I can find a way to save you from Teruhashi if you’d like.”_

I didn’t even need to think to respond to that. “ _Please do.”_

We went around doing all the things that the park had to offer. I tried to stick to (Y/N)’s side, but so did Kaido. And with Teruhashi attached to my side like Velcro, it was hard to get alone with (Y/N). The longer we hung out, the more desperate I was to get her alone and I couldn’t figure out why.

First we went through the maze of mirrors. Yuuta ran face first into a wall and started sobbing, so I ended up carrying him through the rest of it. Had nobody ever told him not to run in a maze before? I heard a group of guys funnel in after us because a million Teruhashi’s were bouncing off the reflective surfaces and wanted to catch her like a Pokémon. Kaido was covering his face the entire time trying to avoid the wrath of a Dark Reunion demon who lived in mirrors (think bloody mary, but stupider). Then (Y/N) was so focused on the task at hand that she wasn’t even producing any thoughts except for a mental image of the maze as she went. I tried to stay by her side, but she was the first one out, and I was the last.

Then we tried our hand at some rigged carnival games. Most of them went just as you would expect: I paid for Yuuta and helped him once in a while with my powers, Kaido tried to win you gifts, and Teruhashi got admirers to win things for her. 

I stood back and watched Teruhashi and you fight over a balloon target game… whoever gets the most points in 5 dart tosses wins. I rolled my eyes as Teruhashi somehow managed to get five of the balloons with the highest score, making a perfect 100. A large group of men had surrounded her and were saying “ouffu” and “oh wow!” all over the place. Teruhashi “cheered” for you on as you stepped up to the game. She thought there was no way you could beat her score. 

I planned on using my powers to assist you, but you flashed me a smirk that told me not to. I wish I could have read your thoughts, but the crowd was too large for me to pinpoint individuals at the moment. You ended up throwing the dart at just the right angle so that as it fell it popped an entire row of balloons. That was only your first throw. You ended up with over 400 points and stealing all of Teruhashi’s admirers as they begged to learn your tricks. 

If I could have read Teruhashi’s thoughts, they probably wouldn’t be appropriate to recall here.

Kaido tried to treat (Y/N) to a funnel cake, but she firmly paid for her own. Teruhashi looked up at me with wide eyes as if waiting for me to offer her something, but I bought Yuuta an ice cream and ignored her instead. Then, taking me completely by surprise, (Y/N) bought me a coffee cake! I didn’t even know they had coffee cake. Leave it to her to find something just for me. When we went to sit down on some benches to eat our treats, Teruhashi was swarmed once again by admirers, each offering a plethora of foods for her to enjoy. 

Joining up with (Y/N) and Kaido was the best thing I could have hoped for. Now these idiots quit assuming I was her date and are keeping the blue haired maiden busy _for_ me.

Kaido and Yuuta bonded over their snacks, each spewing nonsense about fictional enemies and superheroes that they believed were real. (Y/N) tapped on my shoulder to get my attention before turning to Kaido. “Hey, I heard they are having a Cyborg Cider Remune meet and greet by the ferris wheel in about an hour! There will be other superheroes and enemies there too! I’m not really interested, so why don’t you two go check it out?”

To my complete surprise Kaido and Yuuta’s eyes both went wide as they scarfed down the rest of their food and bolted, yelling a thank-you over their shoulder as they went. _She’s a genius!_

(Y/N) whispered to me, breaking me from my thoughts for the second time today. “Teruhashi’s busy… let’s check out the haunted house!”

She wiped her powdery hand over her skirt before grabbing my hand and darting away while Teruhashi wasn’t looking in our direction. The mischievous sparkle in (Y/N)’s eyes as she turned to smile at me made my heart skip a beat. I became overly conscious of the feel of her hand on mine. I couldn’t understand why she were making me feel so flustered. Before this summer, (Y/N) and I spent almost every day together and it was never this… weird. Maybe I just defaulted to my original stubborn self.

Saiko’s words echoed in my head once again.

_“Don’t tell me that you, too, already love someone?”_

I shook my head. Maybe this is just what it feels like to miss your best friend? 

No, that doesn’t feel right…

Setting that aside, I enjoyed her presence. It was like a breath of fresh air to get away from Teruhashi, and not having to see Kaido continually fail to win her affections was relieving as well. I knew Kaido liked her. He has for a while. I don’t know why it was bothering me now. Probably just because she might be too nice to turn him down, and he’s an idiot. 

No… that’s not quite right, either…

The more I thought about it, the more I was coming to one terrifying conclusion.

Standing in line for the haunted house, she started bouncing up and down in excitement. The sun had fallen past the horizon and darkness was slowly taking over. I blinked over and over, trying to overpower my x-ray vision and focus on the way the festival lights bounced off her skin. 

Had she always been this cute? Of course she has been.

I just hadn’t realized it until now.

Uh-oh. She caught me staring. Her face grew hot, mirroring my own. I swallowed hard. “Saiki-kun, stop staring.” She muttered, elbowing me playfully. I glanced away, unable to handle her sudden adorableness. Ah! The cat ears! It must be the cat ears! Nobody can resist cats. Unless it’s Amp.

Somewhere, the familiar orange tabby sneezed.

I must have been making a face, because (Y/N) chuckled. “Oh, you’re scared of the haunted house. Don’t worry, they usually suck. I like to go in them for a good laugh!”

I scoffed. _“I am not scared…”_

My eyes widened as I overheard her thoughts. I had to cover the lower half of my face to hide my reaction. _“How is he this cute! Downright squishable. He looks almost ethereal. Absolutely gorgeous. Ah, shit! Hope he can’t hear my thoughts… do something, distract yourself…”_

Suddenly I felt her arms wrap around me while I wasn’t looking. My heart felt like it was going to explode. I glanced down at her with a frown, trying to act displeased. Still, my voice only came out as a whisper. _“What are you doing?”_

“Hugging you, idiot!” She answered quickly. “I haven’t seen my best friend in a month. I missed you, okay?” I felt my heart skip a beat when I overheard an unconscious thought. _“Did he always smell this good?”_

I froze. How do I respond to that? I suppose… with a hug? I felt my face get hot as I wrapped her in a hug. I didn’t realize how much I had missed her, too. I had been too busy to really think about it. Before I could even filter my thoughts, I responded. _“I guess I missed you too.”_

There I was again. Smiling.

I only truly smiled for coffee jelly and (Y/N).

When we parted from the hug, my thoughts were whirling. She smiled up at me like she always did, but now it was different. I didn’t have time to properly think through my emotions before we went through the Haunted House and almost ran smack-dab into Teruhashi on the other side.

On instinct I pulled (Y/N) into a bush, ducking to avoid Teruhashi’s eyes. I listened to the (h/c) girl’s thoughts, getting a kick out of them. _“How is Teruhashi everywhere and anywhere?! Just like Freddy Kreuger. This feels a lot like playing Slenderman. I’m going to explode; this is so much fun!”_ Only _she_ would have found enjoyment in being hunted down like a wild animal.

I could only think of one way out of this. Every other person was surely on Teruhashi’s side and they were on high alert. Unsurprisingly, it wasn’t very hard to find someone with bright pink hair. But, I hesitated when I realized what I would have to do.

I gathered courage while (Y/N)’s eyes darted around, searching for an escape. I pulled the paper-thin glove off my hand, holding my hand out to her. She eyed me curiously when she saw it, raising an eyebrow. I sighed. _“Take my hand.”_

Watching her get used to invisibility for the first time was amusing. That, and it was the first time I really felt her warmth before. I was always wearing my gloves, so even simple high-fives were buffered in the past. I tried not to think about it.

What did enter into my mind was a past. (Y/N)’s history. I saw so many images that I didn’t even know how to interpret them. What I did see and could comprehend was a book. A book with my face on it. Where could she have gotten that???

My thoughts were interrupted with (Y/N)’s. _“If the fog rolls in I’m out. I don’t want to get killed by Pyramid head today. Lord, I’m so nervous. What if we get caught? This is so much fun! Oh man, I hope my hand isn’t sweaty.”_

I rolled my eyes. _“It’s not.”_

She jumped and nervously chuckled. God, she was adorable. I’m glad I couldn’t comprehend (Y/N)’s entire past, because I would much rather prefer she tell it to me herself, when she’s ready. I hadn’t thought about that power activating when we touched. How troublesome. 

Good grief. Looking back, that’s something someone hopelessly in love would say, isn’t it? How did it take me until the end of the night to realize? To ask myself, was this what that elusive emotion was like? The one I never thought I would have? That terrifying, mortifying emotion that blinds people and makes them stupid? How did it take seeing her light up like a Christmas tree at the sight of the roller coaster, and the coldness of my hand when our palms finally separated? The emptiness I felt realizing that I could never give her what she wanted?

No matter how much denying I did, at the end of the day, it was true. 

I had somehow fallen in love with my best friend.

_ (Y/N) was precious. _

\-----------------------------------------

I should have seen the signs.

It was a Friday the 13th. It was a full moon. I saw a black cat cross my path on the docks. We had to walk under a ladder to get on the boat.

And now here we were… stranded on an island halfway across the world.

I had been afflicted with a mysterious illness and had passed out when Teruhashi pulled out my control device. When I came to, the boat was underwater, and my classmates and best friend were drowning. Because my control device had been removed, I misjudged the teleportation of my friends and landed us here.

But now, after carefully constructing a plot to recreate the island we were currently on with one just off the coast of Japan to ensure our survival, I was finding the whole ordeal to be rather… interesting. There are many moments on this series of unfortunate events that I would love to share from my point of view… but one of those stand out far above the rest. You just read this chapter a few days ago, if you’re reading these as they are published. Or as little as five minutes ago if you are binge-reading this after the fact. I’m sure you know what moment I’m referring.

Day two. The group had headed back into the heart of the island to set up a campfire, boil some instant noodles and get a good night’s sleep. I was making some technical repairs to the raft while nobody was around. Nobody except (Y/N), of course. Although, she had gotten so quiet all of a sudden that I wondered if maybe she had wandered off, too. I wouldn’t blame her… my work was boring.

Finishing putting metal rods in the raft to hold it together as well as tightening the ropes, I looked around the darkness for (Y/N). She was staring into the night sky, tears glittering down her cheeks in the moonlight. I walked over to her. “Are you crying?”

She reached up and wiped her cheeks, glancing at her now-wet fingers. “Oh…” She sighed. “I guess I am.”

Her gaze immediately returned to the sky. I moved to her side, following her eyes. My breath was taken away by what I saw. My heart tugged at the sight. Thousands, millions, billions of stars. Piercing the darkness and casting an ethereal glow over _everything_. I don’t know why, but I was always so busy worrying about what was on the ground that I never stopped to look at the sky. Even if I had… it was never this beautiful before.

I slipped off my green-tinted glasses to fully appreciate the view. Since we were in the middle of nowhere, off the coast of a country that wasn’t densely populated, there was no light pollution here. I could see the different colors of the stars, seemingly every single planet in the milky way, and more meteorites and shooting stars than I could count.

After about an hour I suddenly became conscious of our arms touching from my closeness. I hadn’t even realized I was leaning in to her a little bit, her sunburns radiating heat and bringing my attention to her warmth. It reminded me of when we held hands at the carnival. 

_“I don’t think I’ve ever stopped to appreciate the night sky before.”_ I admitted, breaking the silence.

I could feel her gaze on me. I hoped she couldn’t see the color of my face. “Hey, Saiki. Can I confide in you?”

I swallowed hard. My pulse increased. What if she was confessing her love for me? I hadn’t made up my mind yet on if I wanted to pursue this feeling or leave it behind. To keep things the way they were.

“Well, You can time travel, right?”

I nodded.

“Do you believe in alternate universes?”

I pondered the question for a while. Alternate universes, huh? I hadn’t thought about those in a while. Like the television show LOST, I had jumped back and forward into time before and changed outcomes, or realized that time is more linear than we think and it was because I jumped backward that things are the way they are today because of it. Or maybe it isn’t linear, but every time you jump you’re seeing one of the multiple dimensions that go on for eternity, with each variation having a minor change that sets the entire story off in a different direction. _“I guess. Every time I time travel and mess something up, when I come back it almost feels like I’ve entered an alternate universe.”_

She took a deep breath. “Would you believe me if I said I was from an alternate universe? A universe where my life was a living hell. A universe where I was alone. A universe where… you… my best friend… were nothing more than a manga character.” I froze. The book I saw in her past… was that what I was seeing? I almost turned to look at her instinctually but remembered I had my glasses off. I slipped them back on quickly before turning to her, listening intently. “I don’t know why I was sent here. Or more accurately, I don’t remember. It feels like a long-lost dream, now. All I remember is that being back there, it felt… bad. All I know is that coming here was the best thing to ever happen to me. I’m sure in time, I’ll forget that I ever existed anywhere but here.”

Her eyes met mine. I could tell with a glance that she was telling the truth. I had done weirder things and seen weirder things happen in this universe. I had time traveled to a post-apocalyptic era where I was long dead and my brother was the source of the ruin. Sometimes I catch a glimpse of something weird and wonder if they, too, are time travelers. It’s not a stretch to think that in a distant universe, I was nothing more than a manga character. _“That explains a lot.”_

“Alright, enough sap for one day.” (Y/N) wiped the tears from her face before walking off. “I’m going to get some sleep. How about you?”

She glanced back at me. I followed. There was plenty of work needing to be done before we could be rescued, but after that confession, I couldn’t leave (Y/N) alone. She wandered to the palm tree she fell asleep next to last night and plopped down, leaning her back against the tree. I sat down next to her, scooting right up next to her so that our shoulders touched. With my pyrokinesis I could keep her warm through the night. I felt her almost pull away from me for a moment. “Aren’t you going to sleep in your bed? You know, because you can teleport?”

I said nothing, shaking my head instead to show my answer. She shrugged her shoulders and crossed her arms, getting comfortable. “Alright. Your funeral.”

From the corner of my eyes I watched her eyelids slowly slide shut. I heard her start playing music in her head as she drifted off to sleep, something that she did quite often when her mind was running too fast to focus on a story or something similar. My heart skipping a beat as she eventually leaned into me, her head resting on my shoulder and a light snore escaping her. 

Although we were in the dark, I felt like I could see her perfectly. She was a bright beam of light on this dreary grey world. Her intentions were always pure, and her heart was soft. She had a hard childhood and a harder time dealing with it. She deserved better than Kaido. Better than Aren. Someone who didn’t like her for just her looks. She deserved someone who could recognize her kindness. Someone equally as kind and preferably as smart. Better than Nendou, who wasn’t a bad guy, just stupid. Someone who could keep her entertained and never let that tiny spark inside her heart die out. Someone just like…

Well…

_Someone just like me._

I am the only person who would ever know just how purely kind (Y/N) was. I was the only one who can keep her company in the silence. The only one who knows how to protect her and help her grow into the raging fire of passion she always deserved to be.

My blood ran cold at the thought. I really _was_ in love with her.

But as long as I was a psychic, it wasn’t fair to her. I could never be with her the way that I am now. Even if she accepts me for what I am, she deserves more. She deserves someone who can love her wholly. I can’t do that.

Not yet.

I took a deep breath. Looking down at (Y/N) I ran a hand through her hair. 

This year. I can do it this year for sure. Time will finally be able to move forward. And when it does, then I can become normal. And when I’m finally normal…

Then. I promise you, (Y/N). I can be with you forever.

_ (Y/N) is my new purpose. _

\-------------------------------

Well. We saved the world.

Now, here I was, in this weirdness that would be called “normal”. I almost wore my glasses today out of habit. I took a deep breath. Somehow, the noise of a classroom seemed louder without a 200m radius of internal thought echoing inside your head.

“Saiki! You look different today!” I jumped. How do normal people deal with not hearing people coming? Turning to the sound, I saw Teruhashi sit down next to me. My eyes widened. She really was as pretty as everyone said she was. It was hard to tell before when she turned into a musculature and skeletal structure if I looked too long before with my x-ray vision. Now I understand why she was always angry with me not fawning over her. “Contacts really work for you! Now we can see your eyes.”

I don’t have contacts in, but thanks anyway, I guess. My glasses from before were purely to keep me from accidentally turning people into stone.

I glanced outside the window, ignoring her. Not being able to speak with telepathy was a little hard, but I always was a bit on the quiet side, so I doubt anyone will notice.

Now, you may be asking, why didn’t we get a flashback to my perspective from when we saved the world? Well… because I went back one last time and changed it a little. I didn’t want Teruhashi and the others to know I was a psychic when I planned on getting rid of my powers. I might tell them someday… but they probably wouldn’t believe me then anyway. All that matters is that (Y/N) knows what I was. And I know for a fact she will accept me with open arms when she knows what path I chose.

The path that includes her.

Now, I always thought I was an asexual aromantic. But after learning that I, _definitely,_ had feelings for (Y/N), at least one of those has changed. And now that people weren’t turning into masses of meat and bone when I looked at them for more than three seconds… maybe the other one would change, too?

I’m sure my parents would be happy to have grandchildren.

Good grief. I’m normal for less than twenty-four hours and I already have started thinking of boring normal people things instead of end-of-the-world things. My face felt hot and I knew it wasn’t because of a faulty pyrokinesis.

I glanced at the clock. (Y/N) texted and said she had an errand to run before school so she couldn’t walk with me, but this might be better anyway. I’ll get to see her for the first time as she comes through that classroom door. I wonder what she will say about my appearance…

She should be here any minute.

Kaido was whining on the other side of the room. “When is (Y/N)-chan going to get here? I have a letter for her…”

“Just put it in her desk. She will get it when she gets here.” Aren shrugged.

“N-no!!” Kaido stammered. “I have to make sure she gets it…”

“Oh, so nobody else reads it? Is it a love letter?” Nendou teased with a laugh.

“Stop it!!” The light-blue haired boy yelled.

I found myself sighing again. Since I turned back time, Chiyo never confessed to Kaido. Therefore, he still had eyes for (Y/N). But I know she didn’t like him back. It doesn’t matter what he does now, because after lunch, (Y/N) would be mine, and I would be hers. 

No. I couldn’t wait that long. I would tell her as soon as she got here!!

My daydream about what I would say to (Y/N) was interrupted as I heard footsteps in the hall. I whipped my head around just as the door slid open, and suddenly my heart began to race.

There she was.

I could finally stare as long as I wanted. All my other glances at (Y/N) had to be so brief that I had this idea in my head of what she looked like but even that reconstruction did not do her justice. She had sparkling (e/c) eyes with long lashes. Her (length) (color) hair was (styled) and a strand of it fell into her face. The uniform accentuated her (tall/short/average) figure and… her smile.

That smile lit up the room.

Her eyes scanned the room until they met mine. Her eyes seemed to soften for a moment before she jumped back with a shriek, shielding them. “Saiki!!”

Saiki.

I just realized… she had never called me by my first name before.

I wanted her to call me by my name.

The class shot her a weary side-eyed glance as she chuckled, standing straight and avoiding my eyes. Her cheeks flushed red as she tucked the stray strand of hair behind her ear. She was absolutely adorable. I never wanted to take my eyes off her.

I was not ready, but my feet moved on their own.

I got out of my desk and approached (Y/N), smiling gently to her. It felt weird using my real voice still, so I tilted my head towards the hall and followed her back from where she came. Kind as always, she didn’t even ask what it was for. With a few minutes before class was going to start, I had just enough time…

I started with a low chuckle. “It’s okay. I won’t turn you to stone.”

Her expression relaxed, albeit a little shocked. “Oh! Oh, okay!” She still had a hard time looking me in the eyes, but when her eyes locked with mine I felt faint. I didn’t know where to start. I didn’t have enough time to prepare! “So… what sparked the change?”

“Oh! I, well…” I don’t think I had ever stammered in my life. “I’m not a psychic anymore.”

Her eyebrows furrowed. Her lips were drawn to mine as I continued, using my voice since I didn’t have telepathy anymore. “Kusuke… he built a device for me that, when inserted like one of my control devices, took all my powers away.” She listened with wide eyes. “Once I saved the world, I decided I didn’t want that burden anymore.”

It was silent for a moment. I watched as her eyes darted across my face. My heart was racing. It was unnerving, not being able to read her thoughts right now. The silence was unbearable. “(Y/N)?”

She blinked back to reality. She must have gotten lost in her thoughts. “Saiki. That’s…” She hesitated, a soft breath of air escaping her. Her eyes softened and the corner of her lips turned up in a small smile. Her voice was quiet as she said, “That’s the first time you’ve ever called me by my name.”

My heart skipped a beat. My palms were sweaty. My legs were weak, arms are heavy. She was right. I had never spoken her name out loud before. 

“Please.” I chuckled nervously. “Call me Kusuo.”

Her face lit up and her eyes looked away. She brought a hand to her face and tried to hide her growing blush. “O-oh, okay… Ku… Kusuo…”

That was it. The last straw. The last dash of adorable I could handle. 

It had slipped out of me before I even realized I was thinking it.

_ “Ouffu…” _

\------------------------------------------

**_ ~Back to (Y/N) POV~ _ **

You couldn’t believe your ears.

Did Saiki… did Kusuo…

Just _ouffu_ at you?

Your heart swelled and felt like it was going to burst.

Suddenly the world around you changed like running water over a watercolor painting. Your vision became fuzzy and your head began to spin as you fell to your knees. You heard Saiki call for you one last time before you fell to your knees. The bag on your shoulder got lighter and instead of a milk carton in one hand, it was now a book.

As you regained your balance you realize the temperature, smell, and lighting had changed.

Glancing around in utter confusion, you found yourself in a bookstore.

 _The_ bookstore.

Everything came flying back. The unhappy memories, the late nights, the television shows, the witch…

And the manga.

Panic rose in your chest. You looked at the book in your hand. It was the first volume of _The Disastrous Life of Saiki K_. You gripped at the paper, flipping through them as tears poured out of your eyes and onto the pages. You couldn’t be back! You had forgotten about this life. Everything was good! Finally, once and for all, everything was the way you had always dreamt! 

Sobs echoed in your throat. You choked on your own air. It wouldn’t let you go back. Why wouldn’t it let you go back?! Back to Saiki? Back to where you were happy?!

You shook your head. This couldn’t be real. You belonged in that universe… with Saiki… not this big crappy world that might as well be named “2020” because of how awful it has been to you…

Suddenly a familiar voice calls out to you from down the aisle. It was so quiet, that at first you weren’t sure if you had heard it. It had to be your imagination… right?

But then it called out to you again.

You quickly wiped away the tears even though it would be pointless because you were still hiccupping from the sobs. You turned your head to see familiar bright pink hair and pink eyes hidden behind green glasses. His cancellers were upgraded to look more like proper hair clips. His clothes were more (culture you’re from) than the Japanese uniform you are used to seeing him in. He was a little older, but overall was the same Saiki you knew and loved.

“Kusuo…”

“(Y/N).” He muttered with a smile. The tears began pouring again as he ran over to you and enveloped you in a tight hug. Even through your tears you could hear the pain in his voice as he whispered. “I missed you so much...”

After a few minutes you managed to catch your breath long enough to ask “What happened? Why are you here?”

If Saiki’s eyes could tell a story, they would have told you of the pain. The heartbreak. The endless nights working with his brother to figure out how to get to you. He smiled through tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. “I couldn’t live without you. That’s why I’m here.”

“But… your powers…” You choked on a sob. “They were gone…”

He held you close. Afraid to let you go. “Not permanently. Thank goodness. The new device basically reset my powers. It took some time to grow them again, but they came back stronger.” He took a deep breath of relief. “It allowed me to find you.”

You pulled away from Saiki just enough to look him in the eyes. Three words rose in your chest until you couldn’t hold them back anymore. “I love…”

Saiki cut you off, his lips pressing onto yours. The sentence finished itself, for in the psychic’s actions you knew he understood and loved you, too. The two of you stayed lip locked for as long as your lungs could handle.

He admitted to you telepathically. _“I love you, too.”_

Breaking apart with your breaths coming in gasps, your hands caressed his cheeks as his caressed yours. You stared into each other’s eyes for what felt like a perfect eternity. You knew you were never going to let him go, and he would never let you go, either. You didn’t care where you went, or _when_ you went, as long as you had Saiki by your side.

Life may be disastrous, but maybe that isn’t so bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember, there are two ways to read this collection. This is but one ending for you, reader. 
> 
> Route One: Accept this ending that has been given to you. From here, you can go back to the beginning and read another story if you wish, with each story being separate but with the same premise. Someday, there may be more to this happy ending. 
> 
> Or, Route Two: Deny your happy ending. Saiki doesn't stop you from jumping into another series, doing it again and again, breaking your heart over and over again, holding on for one big grand finale with the chance of gathering the largest anime harem you have ever seen.
> 
> So, which one will you choose?
> 
> (Thank you so much to everyone who stuck around for this story! I hope you all have a lovely day! OH! And one last thing. When Saiki said that falling in love with your best friend only happens in fanfiction? I used to think that too. Until that’s *literally* what happened to me. Always keep fighting. It always gets better.
> 
> Until next time and next universe, lovelies <3)


	8. Kenma Kozume - Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You fell out of touch with a childhood online friend. You recently got dragged into volleyball, which, coincidentally, was what led to your friend falling out of touch in the first place. Your new involvement in the sport brings back old memories and you reconnect with your online friend. Of course, this is only the beginning...

** Message History (June 13th 2008) **

**ThatRamenLife** _(You, age 12):_ Whatcha up to? Anything fun?

 **ThatRamenLife:** I’m bored with nothing to do. Mom took my DS away again

 **Applepie95:** Why?

 **ThatRamenLife:** Apparently my “C” in math isn’t good enough for her, go figure

 **Applepie95:** When do you get it back?

 **ThatRamenLife** : If I can get a “B” on my next test

 **Applepie95** : That sucks

 **ThatRamenLife:** Yeah, I know ;3;

 **ThatRamenLife:** So what are you doing?

 **Applepie95:** My friend is trying to get me to play volleyball with him. He’s super persistent about it.

 **ThatRamenLife:** Why don’t you want to help him? If I may ask

 **Appliepie95:** I don’t like getting hot and sweaty >.<

 **Applepie95:** Our animal crossing meetings were my excuse to get out of it on Saturdays, too…

 **ThatRamenLife:** Sorryyyy *sob*

 **Applepie95:** When’s your next math test?

 **ThatRamenLife:** Two weeks :<

 **Applepie95:** Ugh

 **ThatRamenLife:** I could sneak on the computer for a bit to get you out of it?

 **Applepie95** : No, if you get caught your mom would be mad. Besides, I need you to pass that test so I can have my Saturdays booked again

 **Applepie95:** He’s at my window. Gotta go. Ttyl

 **ThatRamenLife:** Wait… he’s at your window?!

[Read at 1:43pm]

** Message History (March 6th 2009) **

**ThatRamenLife:** We still on for tonight?

 **Applepie95:** After supper for a bit, probably

 **ThatRamenLife:** Whatcha wanna play?

 **Applepie95:** Borderlands please

 **Applepie95:** I’m stuck

 **ThatRamenLife:** Okie, I’ll make sure it’s updated then

 **ThatRamenLife:** How did volleyball go today?

 **Applepie95:** I don’t know. They want me to join the junior high volleyball team

 **ThatRamenLife:** But you like it, don’t you?

 **Applepie95:** Yeah. But joining the team means training. It wouldn’t be fun anymore

 **ThatRamenLife:** I think you would have more fun than you think!

 **Applepie95** : I don’t see you joining any sports teams. Or even going outside…

 **ThatRamenLife:** I went outside once. The graphics were great but the storyline sucks

 **Applepie95:** I saw that meme yesterday!

 **ThatRamenLife:** It’s funny cuz its true!!!

 **Applepie95:** But honestly… I don’t know if I want to join volleyball for real. But Kuro would be disappointed if I didn’t

 **ThatRamenLife:** Sounds like you already made up your mind then :)

 **Applepie95:** I guess

 **ThatRamenLife:** If you don’t like it, at least it’s only two years. Then you can quit come high school?

 **ThatRamenLife:** If you stay in it though, I’ll have to come to one of your games!

 **Applepie95:** Yeah, like that will ever happen

 **ThatRamenLife:** You never know!

 **ThatRamenLife:** Anyway, gotta make some food or I’m going to starve to death. Play around 7?

 **Applepie95:** Sure

** Message History (March 10th 2010) **

**ThatRamenLife:** Where’d you go?!

 **Applepie95:** Sorry, the internet went out again

 **ThatRamenLife:** They killed me!

 **ThatRamenLife:** I lost all my pelts! Again!!

 **Applepie95:** He’s climbin’ your windows and snatchin’ your people up

 **ThatRamenLife:** >:(

 **Applepie95:** Hide ya kids, hide ya wife

 **ThatRamenLife:** Apple!!! Don’t make me cry over John again!

 **Applepie95:** Sorry, not sorry

 **Applepie95:** We have someone coming to fix the internet next week

 **Applepie95:** We can play again then when the connection is stable

 **ThatRamenLife:** Life would be so much easier if we lived closer together

 **Applepie95:** Right?!

 **Applepie95:** …

 **Applepie95:** Hey listen

 **ThatRamenLife:** What’s up?

 **Applepie95:** I signed up for volleyball next year

 **ThatRamenLife:** That’s awesome!!!

 **ThatRamenLife:** What changed your mind?

 **Applepie95:** Might as well

 **ThatRamenLife:** Kuro?

 **Applepie95:** Yeah

 **Applepie95:** He’s my best friend, I can’t just leave him hanging

 **ThatRamenLife:** That means you might make it to big tournaments now, right?

 **ThatRamenLife:** I could see you play on TV!

 **Applepie95:** Not until next year in high school

 **Applepie95:** If I ever make it to nationals, I promise you’ll be the first to know

 **ThatRamenLife:** :D

** Message History (October 16th, 2010) **

**ThatRamenLife** : Happy Birthday, Apple!!

 **Applepie95:** Thanks noodles!

 **ThatRamenLife:** How is volleyball coming along?

 **Applepie95:** It’s fine I guess

 **ThatRamenLife:** Want to talk about it?

 **Applepie95:** Nah. I just miss my free time

 **ThatRamenLife:** Well, whenever you have some, you know where to find me!

 **Applepie95:** Yep :)

** Message History (December 25th 2010) **

**ThatRamenLife:** Hey, I know you’ve been really busy, so no need to text back

 **ThatRamenLife:** I just wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas!

 **Applepie95:** Thank you noodles. Hope you had a merry Christmas too

 **ThatRamenLife:** Next vacation we will have to set up a gaming day :3

 **Applepie95:** That would be fun :)

 **ThatRamenLife:** Looking forward to it! Have a great holiday <3

[Read at 8:10pm]

_~Now, to the present~_

You lazily stared out the window of a moving vehicle. Your head laid against the partially opened glass, the wind whipping the top of your hair around as your half-opened eyes stared at but did not observe your new surroundings as you rode by. Your mouth opened in a yawn as you blinked, your (brand new anime) mom looking into the rear-view mirror at you. 

“You’re finally back to the land of the living. I’ve tried talking to you a few times. You must have dozed off.”

You had to peel your cheek off the glass and wipe away a small line of drool that had transferred onto it. What were you thinking about? You can’t remember. You’re pretty sure it was an odd dream about a witch and jumping into an anime or something of the sort. 

Man, that would be so cool.

“I guess so.” You rubbed your eyes, trying to get them to focus. “Where are we?”

“About thirty minutes away from our new house!” She says with a cheery smile. “Are you excited to start high school, sweetie?”

You shrugged as another yawn escaped you. “I guess. I never did make any friends in junior high. Maybe the Miyagi prefecture has nicer people than that horrid old place…”

Your mother scrunched her eyebrows at you. “Well, although your attitude towards your junior high school is a little negative, I’m still excited for you to spread your wings a little.”

“Yeah. My crow wings.” You glanced down at the seat next to you. A pamphlet about your high school sat there with doodles all over the front of it. It was currently March of 2012, and you were just one weekend away from starting a brand-new life there. “Karasuno wasn’t the _best_ school I could have gotten into, but it’s still reputable AND the uniform is monochrome.” You cringed at the thought of wearing a pink or turquoise skirt, as some of the other high-end schools required. “I like the area we are going to be living in, too.”

Your mother smiled at you. “I’m glad. The next three years will be full of self-discovery!” She sighed, looking off into the distance. “I remember my high school years…”

You rolled your eyes as your mother started monologuing. You had more things to worry about than her life story.

Your mind wandered to the sorts of characters you might meet. Maybe there would be some quiet girls you could become besties with? Or maybe a hot guy would see that you are new to the area and offer to eat lunch with you. Some all-too specific ideas of some figures popped into your head, but having already dismissed your dream as merely that, you wiped your mind clean and prepared your best smile. 

After all, there is no way to know if you can fly until you take a leap of faith.

\-------------------------------------

A piece of sugared toast in hand, you set out for your first day at Karasuno High.

The area was truly breathtaking. An upgrade from the slum of a city you had been living in before. Now on the coast of Japan, you were a short distance away from beaches, mountains, and bustling cities. You lived about a thirty-minute walk away from the school, just at the base of a mountain, so you had to get up early to make it on time. Your mother offered to drive you, but since you wanted to get a feel for your surroundings, you decided that walking was in your best interest for a while.

You tried to pay attention to your surroundings as you continued to glance at the map on your phone. Turning the page and zooming in and out, you had so far failed to miss any directions and were right on track to get to school on time.

There were tons of small-town shops in the area you lived in. You passed a meat buns shop, a cute clothing store, and a café you made a mental note to stop by after school one of these days. A smile crept on to your face. The change of scenery was like a breath of fresh air.

Just as you looked down at your phone again, you heard a shriek from behind you. “LOOK OUT!!”

Jumping to the side with a shriek of your own, you saw a flash of orange fly by on a bicycle. The squeal of dull breaks filled your ears as he slid to a stop almost an entire ten yards ahead of you. You stood frozen, paralyzed by the thought of having almost been run over by a tyke on a bike.

The kid jumped off his bicycle, turning around and jogging up to you. “I’m so sorry!” He bowed. “I’m not used to people being on the sidewalk at this time in the morning. I really need new brakes…”

As he stood straight again, you took note of his features. The kid was an inch or two shorter than you. He had bright orange hair and even brighter hazel eyes that also had a tint of the fiery color on his head. His bright eyes widened as he in turn observed you, his cheeks gaining a dusky red color. A hand reached behind his head as he chuckled nervously. “Well, I uh, my name is Hinata Shoyo!” He beamed the brightest smile you had ever seen. “Are you going to Karasuno, too?”

You glanced down as he pointed at your black and grey uniform. “Oh! Yeah! First year.”

“You’re a first year? Me too!!”

_This kid… is a first year?! But he’s so short!_

You held out a hand, smiling as he took it. “I’m (L/N) (F/N). But you can call me (F/N).”

Hinata nodded, his smile still beaming at you. “Can I walk with you?” He hesitated, glancing away and scratching at his cheek. “I mean, as apology for almost running you over?”

You let out a breathy chuckle. “Sure. I don’t mind.”

Remembering your breakfast in hand, you took a bite out of it as Hinata struck up a conversation. “I haven’t seen you around before. Are you new in town?”

You nodded. “Yep. My mom and I moved out here when I got accepted into Karasuno.”

“Well, welcome to Miyagi!” Hinata had a bounce in his step, even while pulling his bike along and a bag full of books. “I live up the mountain. I ride my bike in the summer and jog in the winter.”

“Really?! That seems really extreme…” You shook your head. You can’t imagine how much work that must be.

“I guess. But I’m used to it! Been making this round every day for five years.”

“Five years?!”

“Yeah,” Hinata confirmed. “I need to stay fit for volleyball!”

An image of someone receiving a spike popped into your head. “Oh, so you’re in volleyball?”

Volleyball.

The word sparked a memory of your online best friend.

The one you hadn’t heard from in over a year.

_Huh. I wonder how he’s doing?_

You didn’t think Hinata could have gotten any smiley-er, but he did. His voice pulled your mind away from your passing thought. “I want to be just like the Tiny Giant!”

You blinked at him, asking who this “Tiny Giant” was. Hinata lit up like a Christmas tree and you listened intently as this little bundle of energy retold the story of this short man who played the Ace, aka the strongest position on a volleyball team. It was usually held for tall people with massive muscle behind their swings in order to get through blocks, but this 5-foot third year beat the odds with his massive jump. Most important of all, is that he went to Karasuno.

“I’ve been training ever since I saw him on TV. I want to be just like the Tiny Giant.” Hinata’s eyes sparkled as one of his hands balled into a fist. “I only got to play one official game in middle school. Now that I’m at Karasuno, I’ll be able to follow in his footsteps, become the Ace, and make it to Nationals!”

This little ball of sunshine’s energy and smile were terribly infectious. Depressive, negative people were your pet peeve, and having met someone full of optimism on the first day revealed itself to you as a sign of good things ahead.

“So, are you going to be in any sports, (Y/N)-chan?” Hinata questioned.

You shrugged your shoulders. “Probably not. I’m not much of a go-outside, get-sweaty kind of person.”

Hinata laughed. “That’s alright! Everybody has their preferences.” Turning a corner, you saw your new school come into view. “Well, we’re here!”

You walked with Hinata as he locked up his bike, waiting to walk inside with him. You weren’t sure what it was about this kid, but he radiated kindness and you didn’t want to leave his side. You got a sense of loneliness prick at your soul as you checked the time. “Say, Hinata. I had a lot of fun walking with you. Maybe we can make a habit out of it?”

The short man’s face flushed red. He really wore his heart out on his sleeve, didn’t he? “Sure!! See you tomorrow morning then if I don’t see you in class?”

“Sounds good!!”

Day one hadn’t even begun, and it was off to a great start!

\-----------------------------------

Your first day at Karasuno went splendid. Everyone was nice, the teachers seemed to enjoy their jobs and there were enough new students to the area that you weren’t singled out. You found all your classes on time and none of the curriculum was out of your league, so you knew you would be able to handle your studies. When you got home that night, the first thing you told your mom about was Hinata. She was ecstatic, of course, that you already made a friend on your first day. That’s a 100% increase from your number of friends at your last school. Better yet, the two of you did happen to share a class and a lunch break together, so you were able to talk some more before the end of the day.

You woke up earlier than usual just to make sure you wouldn’t miss him.

Hinata said he came down the mountain road every day, so you waited outside your house for him to come barreling down on his bike, since your house was on that same road. He must have fixed the brakes because he didn’t run you over this time.

Immediately you noticed there was a slight stain on his bubbly attitude. Even after just one day, you knew there had to be a reason for it. Trying to cheer him up, you asked him about volleyball.

Oops?

“It’s that darned Kageyama! They wouldn’t let me join the club unless we can learn to be teammates!”

The sunshine kid rambled. You learned about Hinata’s only middle-school volleyball tournament, and how they lost without ever winning a set. Kageyama, also known as the King of the Court, had been on the opposing side and accused Hinata of wasting his time. Hinata had vowed to beat Kageyama once he got to high school, but at the fates would have it, they were now on the same team.

Hinata’s knuckles turned white as he gripped onto his handlebars. “He has no idea how hard I worked…”

You felt your blood boil at this “Kageyama” person. “But they won’t let him join either, unless he shapes up, right?”

“Yeah, but!!” Hinata kicked his foot into a rock in his path, sending it bouncing down the street. “He’s impossible to work with!” He grumbled. “I can’t let my volleyball career end before it has even started!”

You put a hand on the orange-haired boy’s shoulder and shot him your best smile. “This is just another challenge, yeah? You’ve overcome all other challenges up until now. You aren’t going to let another person be the reason you fail this time, right?”

Your words brought the spark back into Hinata’s eyes. He stayed silent for a moment, pondering before nodding with a huff. “You’re right!” You relaxed as a smile returned to his face. “After all, I have to prove to Kageyama that I can stay on the court longer than him!!”

You shook your head, smiling at his new enthusiasm. Hinata pulled out his phone and glanced at the time, a grimace appearing on his face. “Uh oh! I’m going to be late for my before-school practice with Kageyama if I don’t hurry up!” He hopped back on his bike, shooting you an apologetic smile. “Sorry, but I gotta go ahead!”

You waved at him, letting him know it was alright. “That’s fine, Hinata.” Just as he was about to pedal off you remembered something and yelled. “OH WAIT!!” He paused and looked back at you as you pulled out your phone. “Let me give you my number!”

Hinata’s face lit up as the two of you exchanged contact information. Now you would be able to get real-time updates on his volleyball progress, as well as better schedule your mornings so you could walk together and still get there in time for his morning practice.

You never thought someone would be worth getting up early for, but seeing Hinata’s spark in the morning made your whole day better.

If only you knew where that connection would lead you…

~Later that day~

** New Message: Hinata Shoyo (8:75pm) **

**Hinata:** Our upperclassman is going to sneak us into the gym tomorrow morning!

 **Hinata:** I gotta be there at 5am

 **You:** 5AM?!

 **Hinata:** I knowww :sob emoji: The captain said Kageyama and I are going to play a set against him and the two other first-years who are joining too. The upperclassman he assigned to our team is sneaking us into the gym so that we can get some practice in before the rest of the team show up since we aren’t allowed in the gym until Saturday

 **You:** So, I take it Saturday is when this battle is going down?

 **Hinata:** Oops, yeah Saturday!

 **You:** What happens if you lose? Is the captain kicking you out?

 **Hinata:** No, he just won’t let Kageyama play the setter as long as he’s on the team, which is a BIG deal to Kags because that’s his favorite position

 **You:** What about you?

 **Hinata:** He didn’t say anything, but Captain is REALLY scary when he’s mad, so I’m afraid to find out ;3;

 **You:** Haha! Well, you won’t get me up before 6 so you’ll have to journey to school at the ass crack of morning by yourself

 **Hinata:** LANGUAGE, (Y/N)!! But yeah I totally understand xD That’s why I wanted to let you know

 **Hinata:** We might go practice at the park after school if you’re interested in joining us??? You could come see me jump and also protect me from Kageyama O3O

 **You:** You just want a glorified ball-chaser for when it goes flying halfway across the field

 **Hinata:** Pleeeaaassseeeee :<

 **You:** Alriiight, I’ll meet you out front after school *rolling eyes gif*

 **Hinata:** YAY! Thanks (Y/N)!

~The Next Day~

** New Message: Hinata Shoyo (7:58am) **

**Hinata:** THAT MEANIE :(

 **Hinata:** Kageyama said he won’t serve to me on Saturday

 **Hinata:** He said that I don’t have what it takes to win, so he won’t serve to me

 **Hinata:** Sugawara, one of the third years, is going to help me practice receiving over lunch

 **Hinata:** I only have THREE DAYS to get good enough so that Kageyama will recognize me and send me serves!

 **Hinata:** AAAHHH!

 **You:** Goodness, Hinata. Already riled up and I haven’t even gotten out of bed yet xD

 **Hinata:** WHAT

 **Hinata:** YOU’RE GOING TO BE LATE FOR SCHOOL!!

 **You:** Meh, I’ll make it

 **Hinata:** Still going to join us after school??

 **You:** Of course! See you in class, shorty

 **Hinata:** I am not short :(

 **You:** You’re shorter than me by like 2 inches!!

~Later~

“Oi! You need to focus!!”

“I know that…”

You lightly jogged back and forth and picked up the ball as Hinata kept missing and receiving them haphazardly, sending them flying in random directions. Each time you would hit them back to Kageyama, the man that was causing Hinata such grief, so that he could continue serving to Hinata and allowing him to practice his receives.

Kageyama was almost six feet tall and lanky, with dark blue eyes shaded behind sleek black hair. His face seemingly had a permanent scowl, and he hardly even paid you recognition when you first met him after school.

“We’re going to win on Saturday and get let into the gym!” Hinata boasted just as Kageyama sent him another ball. “We’re finally going to be able to play volleyball!”

Hinata received the ball, sending it flying again. You sighed, chasing after it for one of the dozens of times that afternoon. “It sounds like Hinata gets to play either way, but don’t you have to win or they won’t let you be the setter?” You questioned.

You jumped, nearly throwing the ball in defense as Kageyama shouted at you. “All the more reason to focus!”

You shrieked, handing over the ball and stepping aside. The dark-haired guy gave off a negative vibe. You could see why he irritated Hinata so much.

In time, the amount of running you had to do to chase after the ball dwindled. After a half hour of solid receives, you moved off to the side and sat up against the chain link fence that surrounded the field. The sun was beginning to set and your mother was texting you to get ready for supper soon. “Hey Hinata, I might have to head out…”

Having broken his concentration, Hinata sent the ball flying up into the air, sending it straight into the nearest tree where it got stuck. Kageyama shot a glare at you as Hinata started climbing.

“I told you to ease up a little when we’re practicing outside!” Hinata muttered in-between labored breaths. He was trying so hard, it hurt you just to watch him. Yet, you found yourself intrigued and inspired by him, and didn’t want to leave.

“You just need to learn how to receive!” Kageyama demanded, walking over towards the tree with a stick he found on the ground and jumping to try and poke it out from the branches. You watched nervously as Hinata muttered the forbidden word…

“Whatever, _king_ …”

Kageyama’s voice went low and his eyes narrowed. “Oi…”

You swallowed hard as he glared daggers at Hinata. The poor sunshine boy winced at the sight before jumping out of the tree just as the ball fell on his head. Without another word Kageyama walked off, ball in hand. Hinata glanced at the ground, deep in thought for a moment before Kageyama yelled after him. “Hurry up!”

Hinata got back into position, his eyes bright again. “Come to think of it, I wonder what the first years we are up against are like? It’s gotta be better than talking to the upperclassman.”

Kageyama held up the ball, effectively pointing at Hinata. “It doesn’t matter what they’re like. Winning is the only option.”

You stood from your sitting position as Hinata shoved a finger towards Kageyama. “I was just about to say that!”

“Tsk.”

“Hey!! Don’t you ‘tsk’ as me!”

You rolled your eyes at the two. They reminded you of an old married couple, who pretended to hate each other but secretly live for the interaction and the sass. Hinata challenged Kageyama just as a ball came flying and collided straight into his face for at least the third time that afternoon.

“Oi! You’re not supposed to receive with your face!”

Even though you winced at the collision, you couldn’t help but laugh. Just as Kageyama turned to yell at you for laughing, a new voice called out to the three of you.

“Wow, you’re really practicing outside.”

A tall blonde man stood with Hinata’s volleyball in hand, a smirk playing on his lips. His golden-brown eyes glinted mischievously as he tilted his head, glancing between Hinata and Kageyama. Another boy with shaggy light brown hair and freckles, stood behind and off to the side of him.

“Are you the first-years who made trouble on the first day?”

“Out here in t-shirts, too? Yikes!” The freckled boy added with a snicker.

Hinata shrinked back like a cat, his hair standing on end when faced with their height. He balled his hands into fists. “Hey! Give that back!”

The blonde raised the ball high in the air, keeping it just out of Hinata’s reach. “Shouldn’t kids in elementary school be at home at his hour?”

You pushed yourself up onto your feet, walking closer to the commotion. Hinata looked like his blood was boiling as his shoulders tensed and his voice raised. “Who the heck are you guys?!”

Kageyama approached from behind you, giving the tall boy a side-eye. Now that they were closer together, a shiver ran up your spine as you realized just how much taller this new kid was than even Kageyama. “Are you the other first-years joining the club?” He asked.

Hinata spun around, glaring at Kageyama. “Hey! I’ll do the talking…”

You watched as Kageyama looked the two strangers up and down. He interrupted Hinata. “How tall are you?”

“Hey!!”

The freckled boy beamed proudly. “Tsukki is 6’2”! He’ll be 6’3” soon!”

You placed a hand on Hinata’s shoulder to calm him down as they continued to ignore him.

“You’re Kageyama from Kitagawa First. What’s an elite player like you doing at Karasuno?”

You took a step back, releasing Hinata as Kageyama stepped forward, glaring at this Tsukki fellow. You could have cut the tension in the air with a knife. “ _What?”_

Hinata stood his ground. “Hey!!! We’re not gonna lose on Saturday, got that?”

You gulped. Kageyama, Hinata, and Tsukki stood silent, exchanging angry stares for a solid minute before Tsukki began throwing the ball into the air nonchalantly. “Oh, I see. This may be an important game for you guys, but it means nothing to us. We don’t care about winning or losing.” You found yourself glaring as well, your skin itching with disgust from his attitude. “If you’re so worried about winning or losing…” Suddenly an out-of-place grin appeared on his face, sending a shiver down your spine. “…would you like us to throw the game?”

Hinata shrieked. “What the hell?!”

Kageyama tilted his head, his eyes becoming slits. “It doesn’t matter if you throw the game or give it all you’ve got. I’m still going to win.”

Hinata corrected. “You mean ‘we’!”

A growl rose in your throat as Tsukki erupted in laughter. “What confidence! You’re the King all right!”

“Oi, don’t call me that!!” Kageyama radiated hatred for this other first-year. You raised an eyebrow as blondie continued.

“Woah, it’s true.” Tsukki smirked. “I heard that you flip out when you’re called the King of the Court.”

You glanced over at Kageyama. Your angry frown was replaced with concerned wide eyes as he began to shake. Hinata’s eyes followed yours, and he too looked concerned for the setter. “Not bad, King! That’s so cool! I think it really suits you, King!”

Kageyama’s gravelly voice sent shivers down your spine. “What the _hell_ is your problem?”

Tsukki smirked as he approached Kageyama, closing the distance between them. You gulped at the side-by-side height difference. “I saw your performance at the prefectural finals.”

Kageyama’s eyes went wide. You stayed silent, soaking everything in. Hinata listened intently with furrowed brows. 

“I’m shocked that the others put up with your self-serving tosses. I’d never be able to. Oh! Maybe that’s why! They couldn’t put up with it…”

Kageyama snapped. He turned on a dime and grabbed Tsukki’s shirt collar, throwing him around. The ball dropped as you and Hinata gasped. His freckled friend tensed. “Tsukki!!”

You were afraid to breathe lest the anger you saw in Kageyama’s eyes were to be suddenly directed towards you. If looks could kill a man, this 6’2” beast would be dead. And yet, in the face of such anger, the giant merely smirked. Kageyama scoffed, pushing Tsukki away and turning his back on him. _Did Kageyama… just submit to him?_

You and Hinata exchanged a glance. Neither of you knew what they were talking about. But it was clear that Tsukki was hitting all of Kageyama’s buttons. You mentally cheered Kageyama on, hoping he would turn around and jab them with one last witty comment, but it never happened. He walked over to his bag and threw the strap over his shoulder. “We’re leaving.”

Hinata gasped. “Wh-what? Hey!”

You moved to grab the ball, but Tsukki cut you off. You felt your heart race looking straight up at someone so tall. If intimidating had a picture to go with it in the dictionary, Tsukki would be it.

“Are you running away, King? I guess you’re nothing special.”

You jumped as Hinata, in the blink of an eye, turned heel and raced towards Tsukki. He tossed the ball high into the air, making one last comment. “What if we win against the King in Saturday’s game?”

Your jaw dropped as Hinata leapt into the air, easily catching the ball. His feet nearly scaled Tsukki’s head as he reached the peak of his jump, and he landed gracefully in a squatting position as he hit the ground. Before getting up, he growled. “Shut up about the King!” Your heart swelled for the little man. When he said he could jump, you never would have imagined he could jump like _that_! He turned back to Tsukki with a determined look, his eyes piercing through the increasing darkness of the dusk. “I’m here too! I’ll smack it right over your head at the game!”

Your smile turned into a small giggle as Tsukki raised an eyebrow at the little tyke, making all of Hinata’s courage disappear as he took a few scrambled steps backwards in fear. “Wha-What’s it to you, huh? You wanna, wanna start something, huh?”

Tsukki sighed as a fake smile replaced his earlier asshole-smirk. “There’s no need for hostility. Let’s enjoy this sport, no fuss, no muss. It’s just a club.”

Hinata began bristling again. “What do you mean “just”?!”

“Exactly what it sounded like.” Tsukki turned away from Hinata, clearly done with this interaction as a bored frown graced his features. As he turned his eyes landed on you, and he looked you over before moving on, gesturing for his friend to follow. “See you later.”

You felt a lump in your throat from watching him dismiss all the hard work your friend had done. Your voice squeaked as you called out after them. “Who the hell are you, anyway?”

The pair stopped in their tracks, turning around to face you. Hinata bounced by your side, glaring at them as they answered.

The blonde giant spoke first. “I’m Tsukishima Kei. Year 1 Class 4.”

His friend smiled at you, the total opposite of his friend. “I’m Yamaguchi Tadashi!”

“We’re these idiot’s teammates, as of today.” Tsukishima added with a sigh. “But I guess we’re opponents right now. What’s it to you?”

Without hesitation you stood tall and crossed your arms, your feet planted in the ground in a gesture of strength and stability. “I just didn’t want you to walk away without knowing the names of who I needed to hold a grudge against.” This time, it was your lips that played in a smirk. “Hinata’s my friend. I won’t let anybody mess with him.”

Tsukishima held your gaze for a moment before shrugging and turning his back on you without another word. Yamaguchi, the freckled one, shot you a sincere smile and waved before following him. “Later!”

You glared at the retreating figures of Tsukishima and Yamaguchi as you heard a set of footsteps approach you and Hinata from behind. You called out to him.

“Kageyama.”

Turning around, you saw the setter had your attention. “I just met you today, and I’ll be honest. I don’t like you very much.” You saw the boy stiffen. “But I swear will do whatever it takes to help you and Hinata kick their asses!”

Hinata and Kageyama’s eyes both widened at your choice of words. Kageyama raised a hand to his face as he snickered and Hinata burst out laughing. You glanced between them in confusion. “What? What’d I say?”

Hinata caught his breath long enough to poke a jab at you. “You’re too cute to be swearing like that, (Y/N)-chan…”

Your cheeks puffed as you kicked Hinata in the butt. “I am not!”

The two of you bickered until Kageyama broke it up. “It’s getting late. You said you needed to get home?”

With an internal shriek, you glanced at the clock. “Ah! Thanks Kageyama!”

After a quick farewell, you found yourself jogging home that night. Whether from fear of getting in trouble for being late or from a newfound inspiration stemmed from watching Hinata and Kageyama practice receives for hours on end, you were not sure. All you knew is that you were fired up and ready to go!

As you got ready for bed that night, your eyes flittered over to your old DS. Thoughts of your online friend cropped up once more. With a sigh you rolled over, covering your head with a blanket.

_I wonder if he still plays volleyball?_

\------------------------------------------

It was a bright and beautiful Saturday morning. You had thrown on your favorite pair of shorts and a tank top before heading out, the school set as your destination. A light breeze ruffled your hair and pushed away some of the heat from the sun. Hinata had asked his upperclassman if you could come observe the game today, and after receiving an enthusiastic yes (it was Tanaka) you made plans to be there about 10am. If someone had asked you a week ago if you would be spending your first Saturday in a new town at a volleyball game instead of playing video games on your PS3, you would have called them a liar.

And yet, here you were.

Wiping a bead of sweat off your brow, you approached the volleyball gym. You had gotten directions from Hinata over the phone yesterday, since you hadn’t ever been there. It was amazing how big the school grounds were. Naturally you got lost once, but found your way again fairly quickly by following the sounds of squeaky shoes on a clean gym floor. Since most club activities didn’t officially start until Monday, the boys’ volleyball team was the only club on the school grounds today.

You wiped your shoes off at the door before poking your head in, scanning the room.

All eyes were on Kageyama as he took a deep breath.

“Go! Killer serve!!” Hinata cheered him on as Kageyama tossed the ball high into the air, taking a few steps and jumping just shy of the court line, slamming his hand down on the ball and sending it flying over the net. You breathed a quiet “woah”. Was that one of the famous jump-serves Hinata had been gushing about? It had to have been.

A man you didn’t recognize on the other side received the ball, sending it high into the air. The blonde from a few days ago, Tsukishima, lined up for a set and called out for his friend. “Yamaguchi-“

“I got it, Tsukki!”

The freckled boy jumps and slams his hand down on the ball. It flies towards Hinata who tried to receive it, but it caught the edge of his arm and went flying off to the side. It proceeds to hit the floor. A whistle blows and the score changes.

Now that they weren’t actively playing you stepped inside. The gym was huge. You never liked gyms much, but knowing you didn’t have to do anything made it more appealing.

“Over here.” A voice brought your attention to the sidelines. A silver haired man waved you over. You shot him a smile, intending to introduce yourself as you approached them, only to have your attention drawn back to Kageyama.

“Damn it.” He cursed, just loud enough to hear.

“Were you hoping to score a few points?” The dark brown-haired man you didn’t recognize from the opposing team spoke up to Kageyama from across the gym. “Even without outstanding talent, I’ve trained on receives two years longer than you guys. You’re not breaking through that easily.”

Kageyama wiped sweat from his brow as Tsukishima tilted his head. “Hey, King! Don’t you think you should start taking this seriously?”

Hinata spun around, facing the blonde. “What is your problem? What’s with all the jabs? What do you mean, “King’s tosses”?”

“Hey, don’t you even know why this guy is called the King?”

You blinked a few times. Hinata asked the question you were thinking in your head.

“You mean the opposing teams didn’t give him that name because he’s so good and they’re afraid of him?”

Tsukishima laughed, putting a hand on his hip. “A lot of people seem to have that misconception. But according to rumor, the nickname “King of the Court” was given to him by the guys at Kitagawa First. By his own teammates.” Your eyebrows raised. “It means self-serving king, tyrannical despot.”

You unconsciously sucked in some air in a quiet gasp. Your eyes were drawn to Kageyama, who made no effort to stand against Tsukishima.

“I heard the rumor, but watching that game convinced me.” Tsukishima paused, smirking in Kageyama’s direction. “He was too domineering, so he got benched at the finals.”

You blinked. Your jaw was hung slightly open in shock. It made so much sense, that you were surprised you hadn’t considered that fact yourself. The way he would toss to Hinata and never consider how Hinata might appreciate the speed, the height, the position…

“Is that why you won’t do quick sets?” Tsukishima continued. “Did the finals freak you out?”

A man with a shaved-head who was playing on Hinata’s team pulled an aggressive face. “You’re really starting to piss me off!” The receiver from the other team caught his eye, shaking his head. The bald man backed off like a well-trained dog.

_Maybe the dark-haired guy is the captain?_

“Why bother tossing if no one’s there to spike it?” Tsukishima shrugged.

“You’re right.” The room went silent as Kageyama’s quiet voice finally spoke up. “The thought of no one being there to hit my toss…” His hands balled into fists. He refused to look anyone in the eyes. “That thought utterly terrifies me.”

“But that was back in middle school.”

Hinata turned to Kageyama, gaining his attention. Kageyama’s blue eyes hesitantly raised to meet Hinata’s hazel ones. “Your tosses will reach me, so there’s no problem.” You smiled as Kageyama’s eyes went wide. Hinata whipped around, pointing to Tsukishima. “The real problem is how to slam it past you!” Hinata’s lips turned up in a confident smile as he glared Tsukishima down while calling out to Kageyama. “You have to beat Tsukishima, join the club, and become the setter fair and square!” Kageyama’s shoulders raised as Hinata turned to him once again. “And then you’ll toss to me! What else is there to it?”

You raised your arms in front of you as you did a little excited hop. The man next to you grabbed your attention. “May I assume you’re Hinata’s friend?”

Turning back to the silver haired boy, your heart did a little flutter. He had a beauty mark on the corner of his left eye and a bright, kind smile. His hair was of a medium length, but fluffy. “I’m Sugawara Koshi. I’m a third-year and a setter.”

“Yes! (L/N) (F/N). I’m a first year.” You replied with a bow.

Sugawara smiled at you before turning back to the game. “That little ball of sunshine talks about you a lot!” He chuckled. “I hear you’ve been helping Kageyama and Hinata with after-school practice.”

You nodded, watching as the dark-haired man from the other team served. “I could hardly call it helping. I just fetch the ball for them!”

“That saves them a lot of time, though. I bet they get twice as many hits in when you’re with.”

You watched the ball go back and forth. You didn’t know the first thing about volleyball, other than that Hinata wanted to be the ace and that Kageyama was a setter. You turned back to Sugawara with a load of questions. “So, who is everyone and what role do they normally play?”

Sugawara gestured to the dark-haired male just as he received another one of Kageyama’s serves. “That’s Daichi Sawamura. He’s our captain, and a third-year. He is our wing-spiker, meaning he receives the balls when they come over the net.”

“The eccentric baldy over on Hinata’s team is Tanaka Ryunosuke. He’s a second-year. Also a wing-spiker, but he’s working on becoming the Ace. The Ace is usually the strongest person on the team, with a powerful hit that can blow through a block.”

“Ah, gotcha.” You nodded, taking notes in your head. “I met Tsukishima and Yamaguchi already. What are their roles?”

“Tsukishima is a blocker. His height makes it easier for him to stop balls from coming over the net.” Sugawara crossed his arms in front of him. “And Yamaguchi is a server.”

“So, this setter business…” You asked for clarification. “Hinata said they are the ones who decide where to throw the ball for the best opportunity to hit it into the opponent’s court?”

Sugawara nodded with a smile. “Yep! It is arguably the most important role on the team. Without a well-placed toss, no ball would ever get past the blockers.”

“So…” You looked up to Sugawara. “That means if Kageyama gets to be a setter… and you’re a setter… then which of you two play in the tournaments?”

A gorgeous woman with long black hair and dark grey eyes walks up to you two. She answers your question, her voice quiet and soothing. “By default, the older student will play in official matches. But, ultimately, whoever works best with the team gets to play.”

Sugawara nodded in agreement just as a whistle blew. Hinata and Kageyama had almost hit a quick attack, but it was out. They got excited and planned to do it again, but Hinata’s jump was too short. 

“That’s the King’s toss!!” Tsukishima yelled with a smirk.

You winced as Kageyama seemingly defaulted back into his kingly routine, yelling at Hinata for not being fast enough for his tosses. He caught himself mid-sentence and deflected his anger. “Nothing works the first time!!”

The pair tried the quick again and again, loosing five points this way before Hinata got caught in the net and required assistance. Once freed, he slouched over with a sigh. “I can’t figure out the timing…”

Kageyama made his hands into fists. “You have fast reflexes! Use more oomph! More gusto!”

“Oomph or gusto?! Make up your mind!”

Tanaka joined the argument. “That isn’t the point!”

Sugawara excused himself from you. Picking up the abandoned ball from the court, he approached the bickering students. “Kageyama. It will turn out just like middle school. Uh, you see…” 

“Hinata has reflexes, speed, and jumping power. He can learn quick attacks.” Kageyama interrupted.

Sugawara continued. “I think that Hinata’s weapon of agility might be smothering your tosses.” All eyes were on Sugawara as he held on to the ball. “Hinata doesn’t have technique or experience. He is not one of the skilled players who barely kept up with you in middle school. But he’s a diamond in the rough.” Sugawara began to fidget, stumbling over his words. “If I had your skill, I’m saying, can’t you use more of Hinata’s characteristics? Like his talent? Can’t you use it more, like, you know… Can’t you use them more effectively?” Sugawara threw the ball back to Kageyama. “You have technique and almost too much determination, but above all, you have the ability to analyze your surroundings. So you should be able to see your allies!”

If you had been sitting, you know you would have been on the edge of your seat. Kageyama turned to Hinata with a new fire in his eyes. “I am jealous of your athletic reflexes! That’s why you piss me off! It’s wasted on you!”

You bit your lip, rolling up an invisible sleeve to go pummel the King, but relaxed with his next words.

“I have no choice but to utilize all of your ability! I want you to use your best speed and your best jumps. I’ll deliver the ball to you! All you have to do is jump wherever there are no blockers at max speed and height, and then swing at full power. You don’t need to see me toss it. You don’t need to adjust to the ball.”

“What?” You whispered under your breath.

“I’ll swing at thin air if I’m not looking at the ball!” Hinata yelled.

“Maybe!” Kageyama gripped the ball in his hands. “But I wanna give it a try.”

Sugawara rejoined you by the scoreboard as Kageyama pulled Hinata and Tanaka into a huddle. The score was 11 to 16. With the blow of a whistle, everyone was dead silent as Daichi served. The tension in the air had changed dramatically around Kageyama as he went into full concentration. Your eyes were fixed on him, his stature resembling a statue as he made mental calculations. In the blink of an eye after Tanaka received the ball, Kageyama bolted, and your eyes locked on Hinata as he jumped. 

You heard a slap of his hand on the ball and the sound of it hitting the ground, but never saw a thing. Their quick was too fast to even see. Everyone stood with jaws dropped at the accuracy of Kageyama’s throw and the force that Hinata put into his swing.

“Yes!!” Kageyama fisted the air.

“I-I really touched it!!” Hinata’s eyes sparkled as he looked at his red hand.

Tsukishima took a step back in wonder. Tanaka was staring wide-eyed.

You felt your heart skip a beat. 

So this was volleyball. 

_Is this how it started out for him, too?_

Suddenly a gasp was heard from the captain. “Dude… Hinata did that with his eyes closed!”

Your eyes went wide. A hand flew up to your mouth as you gasped collectively with everyone else in the gym. “WHAT?!”

All heads turned to the still-cheering bundle of sunshine. Tsukishima stuttered. “Um, excuse me?”

Daichi swallowed hard. “From the moment he jumped until he made his swing… Hinata had his eyes closed!”

Kageyama had made a pinpoint toss to Hinata’s hand. Everyone was astonished, including you.

Tsukishima looked like he was going to have an aneurism. Hinata turned to Kageyama with a wide grin. “Hey, what happened? I don’t get it, but I hit something!! I hit something with my hand, right?!”

You let out a breathy laugh. Hinata was so weird.

“Oi, you!!” Kageyama turned on him with wide eyes. “What do you mean, you had your eyes shut?!”

“You told me not to look at the ball, remember?!”

You ran a hand through your hair. A huge smile was plastered on to your face. The absolute trust that Hinata had to have placed in Kageyama to make that shot was astounding. How much they had grown since you first worked with them just a few days ago.

“Who trusts 100%?!”

“I can’t help it! Trusting is the only way I know how to do it!”

You grabbed Sugawara’s sleeve and shook it excitedly. You called out to Hinata. “That was amazing!!!”

Hinata finally saw you, his eyes sparkling. “(Y/N)!!!”

Suddenly the attention was turned to you. Tanaka stopped giving Hinata a noogie and screamed. “A NEW PRETTY LADY?!”

Tanaka’s eyes were locked on you as he bolted towards you. Luckily, Daichi was nearby and grabbed his collar, stopping him. “We can be formally introduced after the game.”

Sugawara continued to explain the ins-and-outs of volleyball to you as you watched. Hinata and Kageyama continued attempting their quick again, but it continued to fail. Sugawara had his arms crossed, watching them with great interest. “Was the last one a fluke?”

You shook your head. “No. The precision of the tosses is definitely improving. It will take some work, but I think they’ve got what it takes.”

You blasted a wide grin as Sugawara turned to you. He smiled back, nodding quickly. “Yeah. I think you’re right.”

15 to 22.

As if on cue, Hinata dodged the blockers with lightning speed. Your heart raced as he jumped, watching Tsukishima panic as he failed to reach shorty on time, and the excitement in your bones as you heard the smack of the ball against Hinata’s hand again.

It wasn’t a fluke.

They did it. The freak quick.

And they did it again. And again. And again.

Your lungs were burning from screaming so much. You cheered every time Hinata landed a spike, and reveled in the look on Tsukishima’s face every time it happened. The triple team of Tanaka, Hinata, and Kageyama was running like a well-oiled machine. The first set was over right before your eyes, and Hinata’s team had taken it.

“HOW DO YOU LIKE THEM APPLES?!” Tanaka cheered, pulling off his shirt and twirling it around. “What’s the matter TSUKISHIMA? Thought you were gonna CRUSH ME AND HINATA?”

You found yourself laughing. Hinata cowering behind Tanaka, backing him up with a weak exclamation of “YEAH! Like he says!!”

The woman from earlier approached you as the boys continued bantering. She had a stack of towels in her arms. “I’m Kiyoko Shimizu, third-year. I’m the manager for Karasuno.” You bowed, introducing yourself. “Would you mind helping me pass these out?”

You smiled at her, accepting the items from her. “Sure!”

Kiyoko grabbed a tray of water bottles and moved around the room with you. This gave you the perfect opportunity to get acquainted with everyone. Tanaka was a big ‘ol simp, and Daichi was tall, confident, and reserved. Even Yamaguchi, who didn’t give off a great impression the first time you met, became a blushing mess as he tried to apologize for Tsukishima’s behavior the other day. After ten minutes of rest, they got back on the court and continued the game.

You stayed and watched the entire game play out. Everyone looked like they were having fun, even Tsukishima. In the end, only two sets were played, with Hinata’s team winning both of them.

You were being tackled by Hinata when Daichi called out to the manager. “Shimizu? They’ve arrived by now, right?”

You watched as the lady manager retrieved a box from the back room, bringing it out and opening it in front of everyone. It was a box of Karasuno High School Volleyball Club uniforms. Hinata and Kageyama threw theirs on immediately.

“Lookin’ good!” Sugawara complimented as Hinata posed.

“The Karasuno High Volleyball Club…” Daichi spoke up, gaining everyone’s attention. Sugawara, Kiyoko, Tanaka, and the other returning members chimed in. “Welcomes you!”

You jumped up and down for your friend. Hinata was bouncing around like you, excited to be part of an official team. Once you calmed down and Hinata ran off with Tanaka to practice posing for a photo, Kiyoko and Daichi approached you while everyone else started cleaning up the gym. 

“There isn’t any chance you would be interested in joining as a manager, would you?” Daichi asked, handing you a spare water bottle. You took it gratefully, your throat sore from all the cheering. 

Kiyoko nodded. “You seem to get along well with everyone. I won’t be able to continue as manager next year, so I’ve been meaning to find someone to train under me so they can take over when I’m gone.”

You waved your hands in the air, a slight blush creeping up on your face. “Oh, I don’t know… I don’t really know anything about volleyball…”

Sugawara appeared behind you from out of nowhere, placing a hand on your shoulder. “That’s not true! You caught on really quickly today.”

Daichi smiled kindly at you. “You don’t have to decide right away.” He hands you a club application form.

You don’t even have a chance to look it over when the gym doors fly open. “I GOT A GIG!” All heads turned to see a teacher with disheveled hair holding a crumpled pamphlet in his hand. “A practice game!! Our opponent is one of the top four schools in the prefecture!” He gasped for breath, leaning against the door frame for support. “Aoba Johsai High!”

“Seijoh?!” Sugawara exclaimed. 

“Ugh…” Tsukishima groaned.

Hinata beamed, his cheeks turning red. “A practice game with one of the top four!” 

“Aoba Johsai…” Kageyama muttered, his brows furrowing as he repeated the name.

The teacher spots Hinata and Kageyama and approaches them, fixing his sweatshirt that had fallen off his shoulders while he was running. “You two must be the delinquent newbies Hinata and Kageyama! I am Ittetsu Takeda, and I’m the supervising teacher for the volleyball club.” Hinata and Kageyama greeted him in return. “I don’t have any volleyball experience, so I can’t give you technical coaching, but I’ll do my best to help out any way that I can!”

His eyes turned to you, glancing down at the paper in your hand. “Oh, I didn’t know we had someone applying for the manager’s position?”

Kiyoko quietly shook her head. “She hasn’t applied yet. I we just gave her the offer…”

“I’m applying.”

Your words cut off Kiyoko and took everyone by surprise, including yourself. Sugawara and Daichi jumped a little, looking at you with sparkles in their eyes. You glanced down at the application form. The words had escaped your mouth before you even had the chance to truly contemplate it. You didn’t know if you were cut out for a managers position, and you hadn’t even gotten the chance to ask Kiyoko any questions about it, but the year had just started and you were eager to learn. Most importantly, you were itching to watch another game unfold with these boys.

_So. Just like that. I’ve been sucked in._

“I would like to train under Kiyoko as a secondary manager.”

Cheers erupted from Hinata and Tanaka as they raced over and tackled you in a hug. Kiyoko sighed with relief. Daichi and Sugawara exchanged a glance and a smile. Takeda seemed to brighten up at your declaration as well. “Wonderful! The more the merrier!”

Kiyoko’s lips turned up in the smallest of smiles. “I’ll take your measurements then next week for your uniform…”

Your heart swelled. Having gone from a prefecture where everyone was mean and you didn’t want to socialize with anybody, to joining a sports club full of rambunctious boys and gaining a bunch of new friends in one week was quite the adjustment. But in your heart was nothing but excitement and hope for the future.

After exchanging phone numbers with everyone on the team, Hinata walked you home after continuing to practice his quick attack with Kageyama until security scolded and kicked everyone out of the school for being there after-hours. You collapsed on your bed, a smile permanently plastered onto your face as your mind replayed the freak quick attack between Hinata and Kageyama.

_I want to see it again. I need to see it again. I have to be there to see them grow and make it to Nationals._

You glanced at the clock. It was almost 11pm.

Grabbing your phone, you scrolled through your contacts and let your fingers hover over a username.

Applepie95.

It had been just over a year since you last spoke. Almost two if you count the last time you played a video game together. He had been your only friend throughout your grade-school and elementary school years. It was a shame you had lost touch. You desperately wanted to share with him your new-found love for volleyball, even if you were just watching and supporting from the sidelines. You also wanted to ask him if he was still in volleyball. Did he enjoy it? Had he made it to Nationals yet? He promised he would let you know if he did, but that was before you fell out of contact…

You stared at the name for almost ten minutes trying to decide if you should text him. Then, wondering, if you did, what would you say?

You came to the conclusion that the worst thing that could happen is that he never responds. But you couldn’t just keep this to yourself.

You typed up a quick message: 

“Thought of you today. Just joined a volleyball club as a manager. Hope you’re doing well!”

Your heart racing and yearning for that old friendship once again kept you from even mulling it over before you hit send. You were navigating to the settings to mute your phone when you got an instant notification. Looking at who it was, you froze.

** *NEW* Direct Message History with Applepie95 **

**Applepie95:** Noodles???

 **Applepie95:** omg, it’s been so long

 **Appleipe95:** You’re a volleyball manager now??

 **Applepie95:** How are you doing???

Messages began pouring in. Countless questions about volleyball, video games, and apologies for dropping off the face of the earth. You squealed out loud as your fingers couldn’t text fast enough to keep up with the incoming messages. You stayed up until almost two in the morning texting back and forth before crashing, the phone falling on the pillow next to your head as more messages came in, waiting to be responded to in the morning.

Looks like life was on the up-and-up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been enjoying all of the lovely comments you have left after the Saiki finale and let me just say that I love each and every one of you! Thank you so much, your words give me inspiration to keep going! I'm happy I could provide something enjoyable for everyone in these times <3
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Kenma is my favorite HQ character and I've been sitting on this story idea for him since I started the Saiki arc! Thank you all again for the support until next time, bye! <3


	9. Kenma Kozume - Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life continues on as normal until you find out that you will be playing against Applepie's team during Golden Week...

The weekend flew by. Before you knew it, you and the rest of the Karasuno volleyball team were loading onto a bus headed to their very first practice game of the season.

Thank goodness the drive wasn’t that long, because the bus had to come to a screeching halt twice because of Hinata. His nerves had gotten the better of him and he barfed. Twice. Once in Tanaka’s crotch, and the other just barely made it out the window. Thankfully, once everyone’s feet was permanently on the ground, his nausea went away. But his nerves were another story. 

Your own nerves were acting up. Not in a nervous way, but in an anxious, excited way. You hoped that Hinata and Kageyama’s freak quick would shine and whoop their butts! At #4 in the prefecture, Aoba Johsai was no easy opponent. Their status was evident by the size and quality of their gymnasium, as well as number of players. They had backups for their backups. It made your team look small.

“It’s huge!! The gym is huge, the players are huge…” Hinata trembled beside you. Your heart pained for the little man. This would be his first real game as part of a team. Karasuno bowed, greeting the host school. You helped Kiyoko get set up, watching the other team warm up as you went.

The other members of your team took their time watching the other players. “Every Aoba Johsai player has above-average defensive and offensive skills. Their guys can compete for ace no matter where they go.” Daichi mentioned casually to Sugawara. You saw Hinata tense out of the corner of your eye.

“They’re also famous for their power blocking.” The silver-haired boy nodded in agreement.

Hinata shrinks back some more. Uh-oh.

Tanaka stomps up and slaps Hinata on the back. “What’s wrong with both of you? We have Hinata to shake things up, right?” You approach behind them, a scowl on your face. “I already know how much you suck, so I’ll be there to cover for you! But remember you’re all alone when you serve. Don’t fumble it.”

You raise a hand and slap Tanaka across the back of the head. He recoils with laughter. “I’M JUST KIDDING, (Y/N)!!”

Before you could open your mouth to reprimand Tanaka, Hinata doubled over with a grumbling stomach and raced off to the bathroom. You shot a glare at Tanaka as you chased after the little orange, waiting just outside the bathroom for him to come out. If anyone could calm him down, it would probably be you.

While leaning against the wall waiting for your companion, a couple of Aoba Johsai players enter the hallway. You overhear them talking smack about Karasuno. Your grip on your arm tightens as you mentally tell yourself to keep quiet.

“What is it with those Karasuno players? They act so damn arrogant!”

“That’s for sure.”

Your plans to stay silent were thwarted as one of the players with spiky black hair notices you. Glancing at your sweatshirt, he questions you. “Are you a first year at Karasuno?”

With a click of your tongue, you respond flatly. “What’s it to you?”

“Wow, then how’s Kageyama, our king?” The taller of the two leans in, giving you an evil eye. “He looked as haughty as ever.”

You glare daggers at the pair, never budging nor shrinking back from his advances. “You’ll have to play to find out if Kageyama has changed or not since middle school, Onion-top.”

Your insult takes the man by surprise, huffing as he pushes away from the wall, looking down at you. “He’s a self-serving king. He’s supposed to be a setter, but he can’t set up a ball for the spiker at all. What he wants is a mindless pawn who does whatever he wants. Anyone he can’t use for his own victory goes in the trash.”

You interrupt him before he can say any more, your temper reaching its limit. “You’re wrong!! Hinata can hit them! You just wait. We’ll blow you out of the water!”

Suddenly a voice calls out from behind the antagonizing pair. “Calm down, (Y/N).” Tanaka appears with a chuckle, turning to the Aoba Johsai players with a wicked grin. “She’s right, you know. Open up your mind and you just might be surprised at how our _king_ is doing.”

Tanaka looks past the two Aoba Johsai players and lands his eyes on you. “Kiyoko wants you to come help us warm-up.”

A growl forms in your throat. You wanted to wait for Hinata, but who knew how long he would be. Besides, these two freaks from Aoba Johsai weren’t going to leave you alone otherwise, and there’s no saying what you might do to them if they kept attacking you. After a long pause, you agreed. “Alright.”

You followed Tanaka back out into the court and picked up a ball, helping toss so the boys could warm up with some spikes. After a few minutes you saw a tuft of orange appear out of the corner of your eye. Almost as soon as you recognized it you heard his voice yell. “Yes, sir!! I’ll do my best to relax!!!”

Oh-no.

You try to multi-task, tossing balls while watching the events unfold. Daichi was standing by Hinata with a beaten look on his face. _I wonder what he said to make Hinata more upset?_

Daichi leaves Hinata and approached Kiyoko who was folding towels. They exchange quiet words and you see Kiyoko walk over to Hinata. With a short conversation, you see Hinata’s head practically explode and his face turn red. He short-circuited. Kiyoko, Daichi, and you all lower your heads and sigh loudly.

Daichi lines up to warm-up. When he gets close enough, you mutter. “You’ve gone and killed him, captain.”

Daichi sweat-drops and sighs again. 

He knows.

After about a half hour of warm-ups, the teams line up on opposite sides of the net and take a bow. You watch from the side of the court with Kiyoko as they exchange formalities.

“Thank you for the game!”

Your eyes are drawn to Hinata’s trembling figure. Kageyama is watching him with a curious side-eye. You overhear a comment from the Aoba Johsai team. “Is that short guy seriously their middle blocker? Did they make a mistake?”

Veins pop out on your head as they point to your setter. “Oh, it really _is_ Kageyama. What’s he doing at Karasuno?”

“Beats me.”

Kiyoko smiles and puts a hand on your shoulder. “Don’t worry. Soon we will show them how strong we are.”

You take a deep breath. Yeah. Karasuno was going to take them completely by surprise…

Which, they did, but not in the way you expected.

Right off the bat Hinata steals a ball meant for Daichi, and they end up losing the point to a block.

You grip your head. “He’s completely given in to the pressure!”

The number of awry attacks and fumbles was excruciating to watch when you knew how much better Hinata was than this. It was set point and we were losing, and it was all because Hinata couldn’t keep his cool.

Kiyoko leaned in to whisper to you as Hinata moved up to serve. He was gripping the ball so hard you were worried it would burst. He was shaking and his forehead was beaded with sweat. “I think he stopped breathing…”

Then it hit you. The conversation by the bathroom. You gasped. “Don’t tell me he overheard??!”

Just as you were about to shout words of encouragement to Hinata, the referee blew the whistle. Hinata jumped, accidentally throwing the ball in the air and being forced to hit it sloppily. Your hand flew to your mouth as it beelined for the back of Kageyama’s head. 

Smack.

Hinata’s soul left his body as Kageyama slowly turned around like a zombie in a horror movie. 

Tsukishima and Tanaka doubled over in laughter. “Nice head shot!”

“Is the back of your head okay?”

You felt a shiver run up your spine as Kageyama started walking, slowly, towards Hinata. The look in his eyes… you knew even Daichi couldn’t stop him now. Hinata begged for his life as he backed up. “W-w-wait!! We can talk this over!! Kageyama, listen! Wait!” Hinata filled the silence that was only broken by the sound of Kageyama’s footsteps. Kageyama approached Hinata until he was towering over him, only an inch or two between them. Hinata trembled nervously beneath him.

“Look…”

“YES?!”

“What’s making you so nervous and freaked out?” Kageyama leaned forward, making Hinata lean back to avoid him. “Is it the tall opponents?” He leaned further. “Is it because it’s your first practice game?” Kageyama’s hand slowly raised until it was behind his head. “What’s more frightening than nailing me on the back of the head with a serve?” With a tense grin and wide eyes, Kageyama slapped himself on the back of the head. “Tell me.”

You could see the sweat bead and fall rapidly on Hinata’s face as he whispered. “Nothing.”

Kageyama slapped the back of his head again, this time harder. “Then you have no reason to be nervous anymore, right?” Another slap. “You’ve already gone and done the most frightening thing.” _Slap._

You were so tense and focused that you nearly jumped out of your skin when Kageyama whipped around, pointing to the game. His voice now booming instead of leering. “Now GET BACK ON THE COURT, YOU MORON!”

Hinata stuttered, completely baffled that he got away with that. “B-but, aren’t you going to swap me out? We lost the first set because of me…”

“Hey, Hinata!” Tanaka yelled. “We know full-well how much of a klutz you are! Daichi put you in the game knowing that as well! You can start worrying about being swapped out when… when you’re actually swapped out!! Just stop worrying so damn much! Now listen, the thing about volleyball is each and every guy on this side of the net is your ally! If you suck, bring it! Make trouble for us! Hold us back! We’re here to back you up! We are a team! We are your upperclassmen!” 

Your shoulders relaxed and you let out a breath you had been holding. Hinata’s face lit up and just like that, he was back to normal.

“Tanaka Senpai!”

Your lingering worries were relieved when Hinata missed a quick and Kageyama apologized for it. “Sorry, that toss was a little too high.” You cackled seeing the look on Onion-head’s face. 

Seeing the team back on their groove, you sat down and watched Aoba Johsai fight for their life, losing by only 4 points. With set 2 finished and one point for each team, it would go into a third. 

You helped Kiyoko pass out water bottles. 

“We’re lucky they don’t have anyone who can serve like Kageyama.” Ennoshita pointed out.

Daichi nodded, wiping sweat off his brow as you handed him a water bottle. “Yeah, ‘cause our receiving is marginal at best.”

You turned just in time to see Kageyama walk up to the three of you. You handed him a bottle as he joined the conversation. “Don’t let your guard down. It’s just a feeling, but I don’t think their setter is their official setter.”

You finished handing out the waters and towels. Glancing at the clock, you had a few minutes yet before the next set. You turned to Kiyoko and excused yourself. “I’m going to get a drink and go to the bathroom. I’ll be back before next set, ‘kay?”

You had pulled your phone out of your pocket before you could even leave the gym. Opening your messaging app once you were alone, you saw one new message.

**Applepie95:** How are you enjoying your first practice game so far?

You smiled. You had mentioned the practice game last week but had not brought it up since. He had remembered.

“Tied. Moving on to the 3rd set here soon.”

You were adding some more fun information about the game, mainly Hinata’s awful serve, when you ran head-first into someone. Clutching to your phone for dear life, you almost fell backwards onto your butt when a strong arm caught you. Glancing up, you saw one of the prettiest faces on the planet smiling down at you. No, smiling was too sweet of a word.

He was smirking.

“Ah, one of the Karasuno managers I’ve heard so much about, I assume.” He had light brown hair and matching eyes. He was tall, almost as tall as Tsukishima and gave off the same edgy vibe. He held out a hand in greeting and spoke to you in a sing-songy voice. “I’m Oikawa Tooru. You can call me Tooru, if you want.” 

You nodded, stuffing your phone back in your pocket. “(L/N) (F/N).” Looking at his uniform you could tell that Oikawa was part of the Aoba Johsai team, yet you were pretty sure you hadn’t seen him yet out on the court or on the bench. “What position do you play?”

“In volleyball? Setter. In love? Whatever you want me to be…”

You gave him a deadpanned look as you gagged internally. “Ah, sure. See you on the court then, I guess.”

Well, you had found their official setter. You had also officially found the biggest playboy on the court.

You walked around him, leaving him stunned as you grabbed a drink. You heard him turn around and follow you, waiting there as you stood up from the drinking fountain. “You’re really pretty, you know. Too good for that Karasuno team…” He leaned against the wall as you started to find yourself glaring. “They call them the ‘fallen crows’ you know? It can’t be any easier now with the King in your ranks…”

You stood as tall as your average-height figure would allow and pointed a finger at Oikawa’s chest. “Now you listen here, bud! Kageyama is the best setter on the court! So shut your mouth and leave my friends alone!”

You huffed as your face turned red. You were emotional, yes, but you rarely lashed out at other people. Something was triggered inside of you, however, as soon as you started working with the Karasuno boys. A fierceness you had hidden inside of you all along, just waiting to burst.

The wonderful anime power dynamic of FRIENDSHIP!

Oikawa started to chuckle. He held his hands up in defeat. “Alright. I guess I’ll find out in a few minutes then, won’t I?”

“Guess so.” You muttered.

You stared him down like a weeping angel, waiting for him to make the first move. His eyes softened as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Sheesh, nothing’s more attractive than standing up for your friends. It means you have a great sense of loyalty. Say, can I have your number?”

You crossed your arms and did not budge. “No!”

“Oh? Well then I’ll just give you mine…” Before you had time to blink he had slid his hand into your manager’s coat and pulled out your phone. 

“Hey!!”

You jumped, trying to get it back, but the man was just too damn tall. He opened your phone which you unfortunately did not keep locked and he couldn’t help but read the messages on the screen. “Hey hey, is this your boyfriend? Apple pie and… noodles? Is that your nickname?”

“W-What? Quit reading my shit!” You stuttered, pulling on his shirt collar to try and get him to stoop down far enough for you to grab your phone back. He did not budge.

“Ah, sorry sorry. Didn’t mean to snoop.” With a few quick taps on your screen he handed back the phone. “I gave you my number. I memorized yours too, while I was at it.”

Your forehead wrinkled as you glared at him, swiping your phone and holding it closer to your chest than golem and his precious ring. He laughed at you again. “Say, you didn’t deny it. IS he your boyfriend?”

Your face flushed beet red. “N-n-no!”

He exaggerated a relieved sigh. “Oh, good! I was worried someone may have stolen you out from under me.” You felt like a combustion engine ready to explode from embarrassment. “I’m just joking, (Y/N)-chan! It was nice to meet you. I’ll walk you back to the court?”

You huffed. “I gotta use the restroom, you go ahead.”

“That’s okay, I’ll wait for you.”

You couldn’t stand this guy. Who did he think he was?!

After using the bathroom and finishing your original text to Applepie, you were guided, albeit begrudgingly, out into the gym. As soon as Oikawa’s presence entered the room the balcony erupted in fangirl screams, squeals, and cheers.

“It’s Tooru!”

“Oikawa!”

You rolled your eyes. Your neck hairs stood on end. He really was just a playboy. A really tall, really pretty playboy.

“Yoo-hoo! Long time no see, Tobio-chan! Are you having fun being the king?” Your team all turned to glare at the new Aoba Johsai member just as he turned back to you. “Watch me play, ‘kay? Talk to you later, _Noodles_!” And with that, he walked over to his team.

Your blood boiled. Nobody got to call you by that name except Apple. Mainly because nobody knew your online handle other than him, but still! It was not a nickname anyone could just freely pick up and use.

Stomping over to your team, Tanaka rushed up to you. “Who was he??? Why does he know our setter???”

Kageyama’s eyes followed the brown-haired playboy. “Oikawa. My senior. We went to Kitagawa First together.”

“And he’s their official setter…” You announced, making Kageyama’s eyes go wide.

“Wait, (Y/N), you know him?” Hinata looked up at you with shining eyes.

“No.” You glanced to the side, recalling the embarrassing events in your mind. “Just met him in the hallway.”

Sugawara questioned. “Why did he call you ‘Noodles’?”

The fiery gaze you cast upon poor Sugawara made everybody drop the subject. Kageyama drew their attention away from you with a low voice. “I learned how to serve and block by watching him. He is extremely good.”

You felt your phone buzz in your pocket. You cringed, thinking it was going to be Oikawa. To your delight, it was Apple.

 **Apple:** Sounds like you’re having fun :)

You smiled at your phone typing a reply as you moved to the side with Kiyoko as the next match started. 

**Noodles:** Honestly, I’d have more fun if I could play, too.

After a few minutes, your phone buzzed again.

 **Apple:** Oh?

You glanced up, glaring at Oikawa as he did a warm-up on the sidelines. You knew Apple enough to know that he was basically asking “Why is that?”

So you told him.

 **Noodles:** So that I could kick Oikawa’s ass!

 **Apple:** Oikawa? The wicked setter from Aoba Johsai?

Oh, great. Apparently Oikawa is so well-known in high school tournaments that even Apple had heard of him. Maybe he had even played against him at some point?

You put your phone away without responding to fully embrace the third set. Apple could wait. 

It was 21-24 in Karasuno’s favor… set point, when Oikawa finally stepped on to the court.

The girls in the rafters began screaming. You winced, covering your ears. Oikawa glanced over to you and winked, sending shivers up your spine and leaving Hinata and Tanaka enraged. The women began swooning. 

You noticed Kageyama shrunk back a bit and lowered his head. 

That certainly wasn’t a good sign.

Your blood ran cold when you saw Oikawa’s first serve. The precision and speed behind his hits were downright terrifying. Luckily for your team, you had a little slice of orange on your side, moving at the speed of light to take the game right at the end, but not after losing four points to Oikawa’s serves.

If Oikawa had been playing from the start, there’s no doubt Karasuno would have lost. Mr. Takeda gave a great speech, though, so everyone was still in high spirits.

After helping clean and pack up, the team was walking to the bus when Daichi sighed. “I know what Mr. Takeda said, but to be blunt, we are lacking something vital to play and actually win a real game against the Seijoh team with Oikawa on it.”

You felt your entire body shiver as a charming voice washed over the group. “Ooh, spoken like a true captain. You do have eyes.”

It was Oikawa. He had been waiting outside for us, blocking our path. Tanaka and Hinata stepped in front of the group, throwing threats. Hinata hiding behind Tanaka and you moved up to glare at Oikawa from just over Hinata’s shoulder.

“Don’t be so scary.” He waved them off with a smile. “You, the little guy. That last one-touch and broad jump were pretty ace!” You nearly smacked Hinata when he bashfully rubbed the back of his head. “Next time, try to use full force from the start.”

“I haven’t shown you how I set up yet. Oh, right, and I’ll be working on perfecting my serve. Your combination attack is pretty amazing, but the receives need to be quicker or you’ll run out of power.” Oikawa started walking towards the group. “After all, I’m not the only guy who can hit power serves. The Inter-High tournament is coming up. I want you guys to make the cut.” He stopped just in front of Kageyama, raising an arm and pointing to him with a wide grin. “I want to squash my special, little underclassman in an official game fair and square, as a fellow setter.”

Tanaka held you back as you foamed at the mouth. Hinata raced over and grabbed Tsukishima’s sleeve, pulling on it. “W-we can train to receive!”

Oikawa shot a sideways glance at the shorty. “Receives aren’t something you can improve in a day. I’m sure your captain realizes that. The tournament is coming up. I look forward to seeing what you can do.”

Just like that, Oikawa walked away, leaving everybody on edge. Once he was out of earshot, Kageyama turned to Daichi. “Pl-please don’t let him get to you. Agitating others is like a hobby to him.”

You rolled up your sleeves. “Well, he’s good at it…”

“(Y/N)…” Daichi chuckled low in his throat, lowering his gaze as a grin crept onto his face. “He’s right. There isn’t much time until the Inter-High tournament. But he should be coming back soon.”

Tanaka gasped, an excited grin popping up on his face. Hinata and you tilted heads. “Who’s coming back?”

“The Guardian Deity of Karasuno!” Daichi announced.

Your eyes went wide as they exchanged a glance with Hinata. The entire team felt re-energized with that statement, filing onto the bus with a new determination. As soon as you sat down you pulled out your phone, itching to disclose the events of the afternoon. You spammed Apple’s inbox.

**Noodles:** We beat them! Only by 4 points but still…

 **Noodles:** That Oikawa… I hate him. We only won because he came in late

 **Noodles:** Then he had the audacity to corner us after the match and point out all our flaws

 **Noodles:** His serve is amazing! The power, the speed, the precision. He’s like a sniper but in volleyball!!!

 **Noodles:** And he’s obnoxiously hot and egotistical on top of it! He had the audacity to steal my phone and put his number in it. I’ll never forgive him. My phone’s tainted now… it needs to be burned and buried

 **Noodles:** I wanna rip him to shreds!

It wasn’t long before your phone dinged with a new message.

**Apple:** Omg, Noodles, that’s hilarious xD

 **Apple:** Also, I’ve said it before when we’re playing, but you get kinda scary when you hold a grudge

 **Noodles:** You better believe it!!!

 **Apple:** Ok, Naruto xD

You shook your head with a snort, going to 9GAG and digging up some of your favorite Naruto memes to shoot Apple’s way in response. You heard a mocking chuckle from behind you. “That’s _so_ dumb.”

You whipped your head around to see a blonde salty boi judging you harshly. “What?”

“Your memes. They’re dumb.” Tsukishima shrugs his shoulders. “Who watches Naruto anymore, anyway?”

Yamaguchi, who was sitting next to him, glanced to Tsukishima with a sad face. “I like Naruto…”

Tsukishima pushes up his glasses. “Really, Tadashi? You watch that children’s show?”

“Have you ever gotten past the first series and watched Shippuden?” You vouched for the show. “It may seem childish at first but that’s because Naruto is a big dumb goof with a lot of growing up to do, but it has important life lessons and unforgettable character arcs…”

Yamaguchi’s eyes lit up. “Exactly! Tsukki, you really need to watch Naruto.”

“I absolutely will not.”

You and Yamaguchi pitched a “pleeeeeaaassssssseeeee” at the exact same time in a similar high-pitched fashion. Tsukishima groaned, slipping on his headphones to tune you out. 

“What’s going on?” Hinata, who had almost fallen asleep next to you, woke up and looked at your phone. “Ah, Naruto! I love that show!” He saw the nickname on the message label and questioned, “Is that your boyfriend?”

Your face flushed red in an instant. “W-wha-NO! Why does that keep coming up?”

Yamaguchi leaned into Tsukishima, elbowing him to get him to tune in to the juicy conversation. “You don’t have a boyfriend, (Y/N)?”

Sugawara, who had overheard the conversation from across the aisle, leaned in. “I find that hard to believe.”

The entire bus erupted in theories and questions about your love life. When they couldn’t come to any conclusions, they started taking votes to see who was the one most likely to have a crush on (Y/N) or vice-versa. They meant it in a good way, but it was terribly embarrassing. Just as the conversation moved on to Kiyoko and took the heat off you, your phone dinged in response to your memes. You ignored it, hoping if you didn’t bring out your phone that nobody would turn the conversation back to you. However, God was cruel, and Tsukishima smirked, speaking over the sea of voices. “You’re not going to ignore your boyfriend, are you?”

Hinata lit up. “He responded? What did he say???”

Before you knew it your phone had been confiscated by the club. They were scrolling through your messages. Luckily, there wasn’t anything unsavory in your history, and they couldn’t find much to play off of.

Tanaka found a bone to pick, however. “This guy plays volleyball??”

You nodded. “He’s a setter.”

“Ooh! Just like you, Kageyama and Sugawara!” Hinata jumped in his seat. “What school does he play for?”

You shrugged, taking your phone back. “I don’t even know his name; let alone what school he goes to.” You pocketed the device. “All I know is that when we first became friends, we lived on opposite ends of Japan. That could have changed now, though.”

Sugawara nodded. “Ohh, so Apple isn’t a nickname, it’s just his user handle.”

“Yep.”

“Does he know your name?”

“No.”

Yamaguchi leaned on the seat in front of him. “Aren’t you curious to see if he’s nearby?”

“Well…”

Hinata leaned into you with wide eyes. “It sounds like you two are great friends. You should ask him! Maybe we will play against them someday and you can meet him in person!”

Yamaguchi gasped. “What if he goes to Aoba Johsai and you ALREADY met him?”

Tsukishima rolled his eyes. “He obviously doesn’t go to Aoba Johsai, not by the way he asked about Oikawa in the text.”

Yamaguchi chuckled. “Oh, you’re right. Sorry, Tsukki.”

Kageyama leaned over the seat between Yamaguchi and Tsukishima. “Did you really think Shittykawa was hot?”

You buried your face in your hands as the boys started arguing who had better looks than Oikawa, with Tanaka being the loudest and most demanding of his beauty status. Finally, after an hour of bickering, Daichi spoke up from the sea of testosterone.

“Alright, that’s enough. We’re almost home. Time to wind down, leave the poor lady alone.”

“Awww….” The boys whined in unison. You sighed with relief and shot a thankful smile over to Daichi, who nodded knowingly. 

You watched out the window as you became lost in your thoughts. Had you considered asking Apple what school he goes to? Yes. Had you almost mentioned which volleyball team you managed? Maybe. Had you considered setting up a meet between the two of you ever since you reunited? Of course. But there was some sort of romantic flair to the unknown. You liked things the way they were, too. There was no face or voice to go with the name. You could make Apple into anyone you wanted. There were no small bad habits or ticks to get annoyed about or slipping up and saying the wrong thing because you had a chance to think before you hit “send” in a digital setting.

Life was easier online. Albeit a little lonelier.

Maybe someday you would be ready to meet up in person. Today was just not that day.

\---------------------------------------------------

A few days had passed since the Aoba Johsai practice match, and everyone was hard at work enhancing their skills.

You were a little late to practice today because it was your turn to help clean the classroom after school. However, you did not think ten, maybe twenty minutes would make such a difference.

As soon as you stepped into the gym, you heard a new voice calling out, bouncing off the walls.

“Rolling… THUNDER!!!”

Baffled, you caught a glimpse of a cute kid with black hair diving towards the floor, receiving a ball and doing a roll immediately after. You made a little “ooo” sound out loud, which caught his attention.

You froze as his face lit up, practically screaming as he asked. “WH-WHO IS THAT?!” You nearly fell backwards down the stairs as the funky little man raced up to you, a wide smile on his face and pink dusting his cheeks. “You’re wearing a uniform… does that mean you’re a manager like Kiyoko?!”

You nod, chuckling at his enthusiasm. “Yeah. (L/N) (F/N). First year…”

The boy had brown eyes and spiky black hair with a single bleached stripe on his widow’s peak. He was about the same height as Hinata, a few inches shorter than you. His eyes sparkled as you bowed to him in greeting. “Nishinoya Yuu, at your service!!” He pointed to himself and stuck out his chest. “I’m the libero.”

You turned to Daichi with a question as you gently pushed past the enthusiastic shorty, entering the gym. “The libero is a unique position, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” The captain summarized for you as Nishinoya continued to look you over, blocking your path. “The libero is the player that specializes in defense. They are prohibited from making attacks, like serves and spikes. Their job is to assume the rearguard position to maintain a strong defense.”

Nishinoya raised his chin proudly. You remembered Daichi mentioning something about him coming back. “So you’re Karasuno’s Guardian Deity…” Nishinoya’s eyes went wide upon hearing that nickname. “That’s really cool!!”

Takeda, the supervising faculty member for the club, interrupted the cries of joy from Nishinoya. “Can I have your attention, everyone?” Your gaze now focused on the professor, the club crowded around the net and listened. “You’re all doing the Golden Week training camp this year too, right?”

Daichi nodded. “Yes, we all need more practice.”

Golden week? Nobody told you about a golden week.

“Anyway, for the final day of Golden Week…” Takeda cheered loudly. “I booked you a practice game!”

“Wow, you’re really pulling your weight, Take-chan!” Tanaka applauded.

Sugawara raised a hand and asked the professor, “Who are we playing against?”

“A veteran school in Tokyo: Nekoma High. I believe the nickname they go by is ‘The Cats’.”

You tilted your head in confusion. “Cats?”

Tanaka turned to you with a smile. “We heard about them a lot last year. Our old coach and theirs were rivals, and we’d travel to play against each other all the time.”

“I remember! ‘The Major Matchup! The Cats VS Crows dumpster showdown.’” Sugawara hopped excitedly at the memory.

“Was that seriously a major matchup?” Tsukishima questioned with a raised brow.

Before Tanaka could retort back, Daichi turned to Takeda. “But we haven’t had a reason to play them for a while, so why now?”

“Right, I’ll explain the details later. I happened to learn about our worthy adversary Nekoma, so I just had to stage a fateful rematch. In fact…”

“Tokyo, huh? Those damned city boys!” Tanaka interrupted as he stomped his foot on the ground. “I’m gonna pulverize their pretty little faces.”

Too many people started talking at once for you to listen properly. Takeda’s voice had leveled off and was waiting patiently for it to quiet down before continuing. You saw Nishinoya leave your side and walk over to the captain. “Daichi? I’m sorry, I can’t attend the practice game.”

You whip your head around, eyes wide in shock. You startle him as your voice calls over to him. “But… you just came back?”

The pain in his eyes spoke of something near and dear to him. “Shoyo’s a great guy and the other first-years are a bunch of ruffians, but they’re all fun. I think this team is gunna shape up into something good. I want to practice here too, but if I played in a game and our team won, that would be like proving that we can win without Asahi. I’d hate that.” He looked down at his feet, his hands balled into fists. “We’ve been teammates all this time. I-I’m sorry for being so selfish…”

Daichi nodded, taking you by surprise at first. “Understood. But, I still want you to come to the training camp with us.”

Nishinoya looked hurt by that compromise. He quietly questioned Daichi. “What? But…”

“NOYA-SAN!” Hinata appeared out of nowhere, jumping high into the air and smiling at the depressed upperclassman. “One more time!! Do the Rolling Thunder one more time!!”

You shook your head, thoroughly confused. Why would Nishinoya have come back if he wasn’t going to play? 

Nishinoya agreed to Daichi’s terms, albeit hesitantly, and walked off with Hinata to show him the rolling thunder again. 

You took up the empty space beside Daichi. You tapped on his shoulder and asked in a quiet voice. “Who’s Asahi?”

Daichi sighed heavily. He looked out towards Nishinoya as he answered you. “Asahi… is our ace. In our last game together, all of his spikes were blocked. It was like going up against an iron wall. There was nothing any of us could do about it. We lost, by a lot. It broke Asahi emotionally. Nishinoya and him are very close, so when Asahi quit, Nishinoya took it personally.”

You breathed a quiet “Oh.” Watching Nishinoya, you could see the love of the game in his eyes. There were bruises all over his body, proving he had spent every second of his absence training. Now that you thought of it, why had he left then, too? 

“And why was Nishinoya gone for so long?”

Daichi sweatdropped. “He can be a little… overzealous.”

Sugawara had overheard the conversation and leaned in. “He got suspended for breaking one of the principle’s vases.”

What you didn’t know was that it was during a fight with Asahi that said destruction of private property occurred. Alas, that wasn’t important anymore.

Suddenly the quiet professor spoke up, gaining everyone’s attention just before they started practicing again. “Listen up!”

All eyes landed on Takeda for a moment, his face lit like a Christmas tree before movement in the doorway stole it away for him again. A man with short, bleached hair and an angry scowl on his face stepped into the gym. He had a red track suit on and was oddly familiar.

Takeda announced proudly. “Allow me to introduce to you Ukai, your coach as of today!”

All the players froze. You glanced around, observing in quiet confusion. Daichi stuttered. “C-Coach? Do you mean it??”

The angry man folded his arms across his chest as he looked over the players. “Only for the duration of your game with Nekoma.” 

“Wait, he’s the guy who runs the Sakanoshita Store, right? Is he really our coach?” You gasped out loud as Tanaka pointed out where the man was familiar from. You had joined the boys for meat buns at that store after practice a couple times before.

“He is your upperclassman, and the grandson of the famous coach Ukai.” Takeda said with a smile. He was finally finished speaking. You clapped your hands in excitement. You hadn’t been at Karasuno long, but mentions of the famous coach Ukai had been brought to your attention many times already. He was a legendary coach, and the reason why some people like Kageyama chose Karasuno in the first place.

“WHAAAT???” The boys yelled in unison. Their jaws dropped and their eyes were wide.

“There’s no time! Let’s get started!” Ukai clapped his hands and scowled. “I want to see how you guys play, so we have a game at 6:30. I called in your opponents.”

“Huh? Opponents?” Hinata asked while you and other players scurried off to prepare.

“The Karasuno Neighborhood Association team.”

As if on cue, a group of guys around Ukai’s age walked into the gym, nostalgia plastered on all their faces. “Man, it’s been forever since we were in here!”

“It hasn’t changed a bit!”

Ukai greeted them. “Thanks for coming on such short notice, guys.”

You listened in as you tossed balls to the boys for spiking practice. The men that made up the neighborhood association all played on the volleyball team in their youth. They played together and stuck together, staying friends into adulthood. They still played for fun, so they would make worthy opponents.

Your heart reached out for Nishinoya, his expression still dull and his lip twitching in frustration. You were just about to call out to him when coach Ukai announced it was time to play.

“Alright, let’s get this thing started.” His eyes landed on Nishinoya. “Hey, you, what’s wrong?”

Daichi jogged over, taking a stand next to his libero. “I’m sorry, he’s not ready.”

Ukai crossed his arms in front of him. “What’s the deal? Issues? Injury?”

Daichi hesitated, glancing at Nishinoya. “No, it’s not that straightforward.”

“What, so he’s not injured?” Ukai huffed, turning his back on the kid. “I dunno what the deal is, but join the NA team. Our libero is tied up at work.”

Nishinoya’s eyebrows furrowed, his hands balling into fists. With a hesitated step he shuffled over to the NA side of the court.

“What will we do about the other two? You have more people, right?” Coach Ukai scratched the back of his head, counting his players. He was short an ace and a setter.

Suddenly Hinata’s voice bounces off the walls as he yells. “HEY!! IT’S ASAHI!!” Hinata hangs from the window bars, a grin plastered on his face. “Asahhhiii!!!”

Your face lit up. Had Asahi come back???

Ukai runs to the entry, leaning out the doorway and yelling at the figure you could not yet see. “Late? Are you jerking my chain? State your position!”

You heard a muffled deep voice squeak “Uh, wing spiker…”

Ukai barked at the player. “Get the hell in here and get warmed up! Make it snappy!”

You were balancing three balls in your arms, walking over to place them in the ball pit when Asahi finally entered the gym. You nearly dropped the balls in shock. The guy was a giant who practically looked like Jesus. He was slightly slouched, as if trying to make himself appear smaller. He had kind, brown eyes that flicked back and forth as he hesitated to put on his shoes. He wore his hair in a man-bun and had a tuft of facial hair on his chin. To say he was gorgeous was an understatement. He definitely didn’t look like a 3rd year… more like a college student.

You smiled widely when you saw a sparkle of hope in Nishinoya’s eyes at the sight of Asahi.

Hinata took one of the balls from you, startling you back into cleaning mode. You could introduce yourself later.

Coach Ukai hummed. “Now all we need is a setter. I wanna do it, but I have to watch from the outside.”

Kageyama and Sugawara exchange a glance for a moment before Sugawara steps forward. “I’ll join the NA side, coach.” You could tell that Kageyama was going to say something to Sugawara, but he stopped himself when Sugawara clenched a fist, looking to Asahi with a newfound fire in his eyes.

“Please let me throw you a toss one more time, Asahi!”

You had spent some time with Sugawara and Hinata over lunch. You knew the silver-haired boy also held on to some of the burden and anxiety from that failed match. He was jealous of Kageyama and wanted to prove his worth. He wasn’t stepping down by joining the other team. Instead, he was learning how to step up. Sugawara turned to Kageyama and grinned. “I won’t lose.”

Kageyama nodded, understanding his sensei perfectly. “I won’t either.”

With the teams decided and the gym cleared, you joined Coach Ukai and Kiyoko on the sideline. It was a magical battle, watching Coach Ukai nearly faint when he saw Kageyama and Hinata’s freak quick attack, as well as having your bones rattled when Asahi called for a spike, failing twice but succeeding on the third try thanks to Nishinoya’s amazing saves. The power behind his serve was so intense you were surprised that Tsukishima, Kageyama and Tanaka could block it at all. You saw the light return to Asahi’s eyes when the ball made that satisfying smack to the floor. Seeing Sugawara set was also a sight to behold; he wasn’t as fierce as Kageyama but put off an air that boosted his entire team’s morale.

You found yourself unable to stop smiling. The air was filled with a new spark of electricity that you hadn’t felt before since joining as a manager. A spark filled with hope and determination.

The team was finally coming together.

The match was over before you knew it. Each side won a set before the school groundskeeper got mad at the club and forced everyone to pack up and head out. Coach Ukai treated everyone to meat buns on the way home, and after splitting off from the rest of the group, you got to listen to Hinata swoon over the Ace.

“He was like… BWAHH!!! And the ball went like… BAM!!! And then Nishinoya was like ZWOOM!!!” You laughed at his use of sound effects. 

“Yeah, and then the ball went KABAM right into your face!!” You added, making Hinata flinch.

“Ah… you saw that, did ya??” Hinata asked bashfully, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Of course I did!!” You chuckled. “Do you not remember me bringing you a water bottle?”

“Guess not…”

“You’re going to need to see a doctor for a concussion one of these times, I swear…”

Your conversation was interrupted by a new message on your phone. Hinata watched with curiosity as you pulled your phone out of your pocket and glanced at the notification on your screen.

** New Message from Applepie95 **

_“How’d practice go today?”_

Hinata elbowed you. “Say say, you should answer him!”

You rolled your eyes. “I can answer him later…”

“Nooooo (Y/N)…” Hinata pouted. “Tell him about Asahi and Nishinoya… Oh! I know! Ask him about Golden Week. Maybe he will be there!”

Your face got hot as you considered the possibility. Surprisingly, it hadn’t even crossed your mind. “Thanks a lot, Hinata, now I’m nervous…”

“Just imagine though!” Hinata clapped his hands together and looked off into the near distance with batting eyelashes. “Long lost childhood best friends, coming together during a fateful practice match over volleyball and falling in love at first sight!”

You shoved Hinata to the side making him almost tumble over his bike as he walked it. You shook your head. “Stop it!”

Hinata’s laughter filled the street. “Gee, you must really like him to get all flustered like that.” Suddenly Hinata’s face contorted into an evil grin as you tried to cover your reddening face. “It’s true isn’t it?? Nobody on the team makes you look like that…”

You shot him a glare from through your fingers. “You mean the way you end up looking at Kageyama???”

Hinata squeaked in surprise. “What?! N-n-n-no! I’m the one doing the teasing here, not you!”

“Sure, sure.”

Hinata leaned into you again. “Answer himmmm.”

You let out an exasperated sigh. “Fine!” You opened your phone, staring at the screen for a moment before deciding what to say.

**_Noodles:_ ** _We got our ace and libero back just in time for Golden Week!_

“There! Are you happy?” You shoved your phone back in your pocket, but before Hinata could even open his mouth to convince you to text Apple more, your phone buzzed again. Hinata’s eyes lit up as you pulled out your phone again, seeing yet another new message from your online friend.

**_Apple:_ ** _Nice. So your team is going to Golden Week?_

Hinata watched like a little baby crow perched on your shoulder as you answered.

**_Noodles:_ ** _Yeah, we even got a practice match set up for the final day. Should be interesting!_

Hinata whined. “Man, you’re including the least amount of information possible. Just tell him you’re from Karasuno!”

You shook your head. “Absolutely not! I don’t want to come off overly interested or anything like that…”

Hinata groaned out loud. “Girls are so weird!”

“I don’t want to give the impression that I’m a stalker!!”

Your phone buzzed again, and again, this time the flood of messages making your heart skip a beat. Hinata’s lips stretched into a wide grin as he read them out loud.

**_Apple:_ ** _Funny, we have a practice match set up for that day, too_

**_Apple:_ ** _Wait_

**_Apple:_ ** _…_

**_Apple:_ ** _Who are you set to play against?_

Hinata started fangirling as best as a short high school boy could. You froze in your tracks. Your heart started palpitating. You stared at Hinata with wide eyes. “That’s… that’s impossible, right? He couldn’t possibly be…”

“You won’t know until you ask!” Hinata dropped his bike and wrapped a supportive arm around you, staring at your phone as he squeezed you tight. “Tell him, tell him!!”

You stared at your phone, hesitating. What if he was from Nekoma? That meant in a matter of a week you would be meeting this person face to face. Although the thought was exciting, it was also terrifying. Were you okay with that? Putting a face and a voice to the username?

With Hinata pulling on your shoulder, you had to put your bravest face forward. If you didn’t say anything, your team would cause more problems for you down the road, most likely asking every single volleyball member they come across if they knew who “Applepie95” was until they found him for you.

There was only one option, considering that was the alternative.

**_Noodles:_ ** _We’re playing against Nekoma_

You hit send. You handed over your phone to Hinata, needing the physical distance as you began to internally freak out. Hinata laughed at your reaction. “Calm down! We don’t know if he’s actually from Nekoma. Besides, if he really didn’t want to meet you in person, he could just lie about it…”

You paced under the light of a streetlamp. It was only a minute later when your phone dinged. Hinata looked at it for you, your eyes locked on your phone in his hand from a distance, waiting for the news.

You knew from the second Hinata started giggling and smiling at you. “Ok, so he didn’t lie about it…”

_“HAAAAAHHH????”_

You yanked the phone from Hinata’s hand, looking at the messages as they continued to roll in. Hinata was holding back screams of excitement.

**_Apple:_ ** _You’re joking, right?_

**_Apple:_ ** _I play for Nekoma_

**_Apple:_ ** _…_

**_Apple:_ ** _You’re from Karasuno???_

A high-pitched squeal escaped you as Hinata cheered for you. The adrenaline pumping through your veins had you nauseous and invigorated. You typed up a quick reply.

**_Noodles:_ ** _You’re our fated rival?!_

**_Noodles:_ ** _Literally what are the chances I cannot believe this right now_

He responded immediately.

**_Apple:_ ** _Wtf this is so weird!!_

**_Apple:_ ** _Ok hear me out…_

**_Apple:_ ** _Let’s make a game of it_

Hinata watched, his hand gripping your shoulder as you continued to converse with your friend.

**_Noodles:_ ** _I’m interested_

**_Apple:_ ** _So you already know I’m a setter, but neither of us know each other’s name or what we look like_

**_Apple:_ ** _And you said your team has two managers including you, right?_

**_Noodles:_ ** _Correct, continue *eyeballs emoji*_

**_Apple:_ ** _Ok, so whichever one of us can figure out who the other is in person first, before the match starts and reveals my position, wins_

**_Noodles:_ ** _DEAL!!_

**_Noodles:_ ** _Although, it seems unfair… it will be much easier for you since there are only two girls in Karasuno, versus a whole herd of boys… xD_

**_Apple:_ ** _That’s only if you’re telling the truth, tho ; )_

**_Noodles:_ ** _I mean, you’re not wrong_

**_Noodles:_ ** _Additional rule! We aren’t allowed to ask the other members about our usernames_

**_Apple:_ ** _Deal, same goes for asking about what position they play on the team_

**_Noodles:_ ** _Not my fault if someone starts listing off your members, though_

**_Apple:_ ** _I think I can take care of that_

**_Noodles:_ ** _Alright, my friend here is about ready to explode from this new information, gotta go for now_

**_Apple:_ ** _See you later?_

**_Noodles:_ ** _Ditto :D_

Taking a deep breath, you put your phone away with a shaky sigh and nervous giggle. Ready or not, you were going to meet your best friend in person in a matter of weeks.

You glanced at Hinata, whose grip on your shoulder had ceased and now he was typing furiously away at his cellphone. He was giggling like a little schoolgirl, and when you peeked over to see what he was doing, suddenly your phone exploded with messages, distracting you just long enough for him to start walking away with a little pep in his step as more giggles escaping him while you pulled out your phone.

** New Messages in Group Chat “The Murderers” **

-Added ASAHI and NISHINOYA-

**Sunshine (Hinata):** CODE RED

 **Sunshine:** CODE RED

 **Sunshine:** APPLE PLAYS FOR NEKOMA

 **Blueberry (Kageyama):** What are you talking about, Boke?

 **Mum (Sugawara):** You’re kidding?! That’s awesome!!!

 **Dadchi (Daichi):** Who plays for Nekoma?

 **Saltlick (Tsukishima):** Apples is that online guy (Y/N) is dating, right? 

**Freckles (Yamaguchi):** Oooooh (Y/N)! You’re finally going to get to meet him!!!

 **Asahi:** What’s going on? Who is Apples?? Why am I added to a group called The Murderers??? D:

 **Nishinoya:** WAIT, (Y/N) IS TAKEN???

 **Bulldog (Tanaka):** NO, IDIOT! Tsukishima is just being an asshole like always

 **Nishinoya:** Oh good :,)

 **Freckles:** What are the chances he would be playing for Nekoma? That’s amazing!

 **Blueberry:** I’m still confused

 **Sunshine:** The setter that (Y/N) talks to online plays for Nekoma, Bakagayama!

 **Blueberry:** OH

 **Saltlick:** That means she finally gets to meet him at the end of Golden Week!

 **Dadchi:** Can everybody calm down? I swear I can hear you screaming from here

 **Bulldog:** WELL OF COURSE! We need to thoroughly beat up this guy and make sure he doesn’t hurt our precious 1st year manager!!!

 **Miss Japan (Kiyoko):** I doubt she needs your protecting

 **Nishinoya:** WE WILL PROTECT YOU TOO, KIYOKO-SAN

 **Bulldog:** WE WILL PROTECT YOU TOO, KIYOKO-SAN

 **Freckles:** You guys *eyeroll*

 **Mum:** Make sure you properly introduce us, I need to approve of him before you start officially dating ^-^

 **Dadchi:** ^ What Suga said. We won’t let *just anyone* date our precious (Y/N)-chan

 **Nishinoya:** Especially Tanaka or Tsukishima

 **Saltlick:** Hey!

 **Freckles:** Don’t pick on Tsukki :<

 **Bulldog:** OI!! SHORTY YOU TAKE THAT BACK!!

 **Nishinoya:** NEVER!! I SAW HER FIRST!

 **Bulldog:** YOU LITERALLY DID NOT?!

 **Dadchi:** Don’t make me come over there…

Your hand clenched around your phone as you yelled, your heels digging into the cement of the sidewalk as you bolted after the orange haired decoy. “HINATTAAAAA!!!!!!!!!” The scream that came out of his mouth was hilarious as you tried your best to catch up to him. Now that the entire team knew, there was no backing down.

Thank goodness you were never one to back down from a challenge.

_(Mini Note: Get it… Murder… a group of crows… is called… a murder…_

_I also hope you really enjoy their nicknames in your phone xD Anyways, carry on.)_

\----------------------------------------------

You downed an entire water bottle, sweat dripping off your forehead. As the last drop was swallowed you gasped for breath, coughing from the sudden increase of oxygen. Daichi slapped you on the back. “You know this training week is meant for the ones who are actually playing on the court, right?”

You glanced up and met his smile with one of your own. “I know…” You spoke between breaths. “But I just feel… really useless unless I try hard, too… you know?”

Daichi laughed as you stood straight, wiping the sweat from your brow and going for another ball. He placed a hand on your shoulder and stopped you. “You’ve done enough for today. Let us help. Even Hinata’s exhausted…”

Glancing around the court, you saw Hinata laying with his back against the floor. His eyes were spirals and he may have even stopped breathing. You sputtered with laughter. Kageyama stood over the sunshine boy, scratching at the back of his head. “What’s wrong with him?”

Daichi placed his hands on his hips. “(Y/N) was helping him work on receives. She had him running all over the court.” He tilted his head, looking at the bundle on the floor. “I think she broke him.”

Sugawara approached you with a bashful look on his face. “It’s a shame you’re not a boy, because you seem to have a natural talent for volleyball.”

You shook your head, brushing off your senpai’s words. “Nah! Don’t be silly!”

“Your form is good.” Kageyama replied with a shrug. “Although your setting could use some work.”

Sugawara let out a long sigh. “Kageyama… of course you would say that.”

Suddenly you were nearly knocked over as another sweaty form crashed into your side, wrapping an arm around your shoulder and squeezing affectionately. “I think you did amazing today!” You turned your gaze over to your attacker, your (e/c) orbs meeting pretty brown ones. “You could have made a good libero with your quick footwork!”

You rolled your eyes. “Uh-huh, sure. Thanks, Noya-senpai.”

“I’m serious!!” The short and spunky libero pouted.

Kiyoko, the only other female within a hundred-yard radius, took your empty water bottle from you and added it to the carrying rack for refilling. “It’s nice to have a manager that’s hands-on like you.” Her voice was quiet in sound, but loud in meaning. “I’m sure they really appreciate it.”

“Yeah we do!” Nishinoya slapped your back like Daichi had but harder, making you wince slightly from the sting. At least it wasn’t a slap from an ace… that certainly would have left a mark. “Thanks for helping with practice today!”

You chuckled at him as he ran off towards the utility closet. Everyone was starting to clean up for the day before heading off to the training camp lodging. Coach Ukai clapped his hands and yelled so everyone could hear him. “Ten minutes before we lock up!”

“Ossu!”

The gym cleaned up quick when all the members were present. With the addition of Asahi and Nishinoya, there were now fourteen members not including the advisor and coach. Hinata recharged as soon as he got outside, bursting with excitement about the training camp facility.

The building was fairly plain, nothing special… but as soon as the doors were unlocked Hinata went around bursting into every room with a smile and a “WAAAHHH!!!” while Kageyama followed him with a scowl. 

You joined Kiyoko and Takeda in the kitchen, preparing dinner for the group. You were almost done with preparations when Nishinoya and Tanaka burst in with grim looks plastered onto their faces. Somehow, they looked like they had been sucked dry of any joy or life in their lives as they cried. 

“Is-is it true? Kiyoko is going home after supper and taking (Y/N) with her?”

Kiyoko glanced at you with a shrug. Of course, the only reason your mother let you go on this week-long training camp was because you could stay the nights over at another girl’s house. But, seeing the dejected looks on Nishinoya and Tanaka’s faces made your heart ache. You *had* wanted to stay at the facility anyway… a sleepover with this rowdy bunch sure sounded like fun. But it wasn’t until you saw Hinata’s sad face peering from behind the pair that you dropped your head and changed your plans.

“I mean, if you really want me to stay, I don’t mind.”

Your words brightened the boy’s day considerably. As word spread about your continued stay at the facility, the dining room began filling up. Kiyoko turned to you with a worried expression. “Are you sure you don’t want to come to my place?”

“Are you sure staying is a wise idea?” Takeda added. “You would be the only girl on the premises. They will survive a few nights without you, you know.”

You nodded, whisking some ingredients together in a bowl as you talked. “I had wanted to stay here anyway. No offense, Kiyoko. I understand wanting to sleep in your own bed! But, I trust these guys with my life. Having a big slumber party sounds like fun!!”

Kiyoko shook her head in understanding. “Don’t hesitate to call me if you need to be rescued, then?”

You laughed over the yells of Hinata, Nishinoya and Tanaka as they tried to convince Kiyoko of your safety. “Will do!”

Tsukishima walked in towards the end of that conversation, Yamaguchi close behind. The blonde smirked. “You’re not worried about staying alone in a building with a bunch of teenage boys?”

“Of course not. If anything, Coach should be relieved I’m staying with you guys, since half of you are so obviously gay for each other. You can’t do anything rated R while I’m around...” You glanced back at Yamaguchi and winked. Tsukishima opened his mouth to retort but nothing came out as he lowered his head, dropping the subject and sitting down at the table without another word. You couldn’t help but laugh at the immediate reaction of redness in Yamaguchi’s face. Whether it was true or not, it sure was an easy way to get them to shut up.

It was a heartwarming meal. To be able to sit down with the gang and listen to them talk about some things other than volleyball was a nice change of pace. Not that you didn’t mind volleyball talk, you were used to that from your online friend, but even though you spent entire afternoons together with these guys you really didn’t know a whole lot about any of them, aside from Hinata. Your heart swelled with affection for these guys. Each one felt like a dear friend, almost family. You were thankful to spend this extra time with them. The thought of some of them leaving each year broke your heart. You couldn’t imagine the team without anyone that was sitting here today.

Suddenly you felt Hinata tug on your sleeve. “Are you okay?”

Glancing up from your meal, all eyes landed on you. You glanced around the table, dumbstruck. “Of course, why do you ask?”

Yamaguchi, who was sitting across the table from you, tilted his head. “You’re crying…”

You wiped at your cheeks and felt warm wet tears smear across your face. You nervously chuckled, wiping them away. “Oh, I’m sorry…” You smiled up at everyone once your face was dry. “I was just thinking how happy I am to be a part of this team. At my last school, I never had anyone to support or fight for. I had no friends.” Heartwarming glances between the members were shared. “So, thank you guys… for being my friends.”

Before you knew it, over half of the team including the professor had tears in their eyes, and Hinata, Tanaka, Nishinoya, and Yamaguchi had waterworks spilling out and flooding the room. You laughed at their reactions, truly thankful for each and every one of them… even Tsukishima.

After supper it was time for the boys to shower. You decided you would go last once they were all done, so you helped lay out bedrolls while the third years showered first. Your job was done before they were, so you and Hinata went back down to the hallway to grab something to drink from the vending machines to bring to bed.

“Man, the halls are dark…” Hinata whined, his voice reverberating off the walls accompanied only by the sound of your footsteps against the tile floor.

You giggled evilly, from deep within your throat. “It’s the perfect scene for a murder.”

No sooner had the words graced your lips that the two of you froze. It was fast, but you caught a glimpse of someone… it looked like a child. The figure had passed by so fast neither of you had been sure you had truly seen it until your eyes met in a similar widened panic. 

Hinata tried to brush it off with a nervous chuckle. “We-we’re just seeing things, right?”

You swallowed hard, shaking your head. “Y-yeah, naturally…”

You picked up your pace and relished in the light coming off the vending machines at the end of the hallway. While Hinata grabbed his drink and a snack, you glanced around, eyeing each shadow and every corner. Of course, just as you turned away to get something for yourself, a voice called out to you. Hinata and you shrieked, nearly jumping out of your skin.

“What are you guys lurking around out here for?”

Turning around, you both sighed at the sight of Tanaka. He still had his towel wrapped around his neck, fresh from taking his shower. You opened your mouth to tell him you were just getting something to drink when Hinata’s low voice interrupted you.

“I think… there’s someone here with us, that I’ve never seen before.”

You elbowed Hinata as Tanaka gave you a raised eyebrow of questioning. “Shoyo!! Don’t just go saying that stuff!”

Tanaka laughed. “That’s impossible! The volleyball club are the only people in this building right now.”

“It looked like a kid!!!” Hinata reinforced.

You shivered as the hair on the back of your neck stood up. “It’s my fault, I freaked us out… and then we thought we saw a figure in the hallway. We didn’t recognize them, and they were really small…”

Tanaka glanced around. “Eheh, well, I mean, I’ve stayed here before and hadn’t heard any ghost stories…”

Hinata shivered. “G-g-ghost?!”

The three of you were contemplating the idea in silence when a new voice suddenly rang in your ears. You screamed in unison as you jumped together in a safety hug. You and Hinata turned to look at the source of the noise and continued to scream, not recognizing the figure. Tanaka’s screech leveled off into laughter.

“Guys, guys!!! Stop it, it’s just Yuu!”

Your heart was racing in your ears. Blinking a few times, you saw the familiar soft brown eyes of Nishinoya. You had to squint to recognize him, for his hair was down from being wet. He must have just come from the showers! 

“Quiet down or Daichi will get mad…” He stated nonchalantly.

You sighed with relief as Hinata yelled. “HE SHRUNK!!”

Tanaka continued to laugh. “He’s right, Yuu! Your hair adds to your height!!”

You laughed at yourself for being spooked by one of your teammates. “Sorry, Nishinoya-senpai! We didn’t recognize you!”

Nishinoya crosses his arms and pouted. “HEY! My hair can’t possibly make that big of a difference!!”

The four of you turned to look at an approaching set of footsteps. As the person turned the corner and the light of the vending machines lit up their features, you all screamed again.

“Quiet down! Daichi’s gunna get mad!” It took you longer to realize the terrifying long-haired giant was Asahi than it did to realize the ghost child was Nishinoya. The poor soul stepped back with a worried expression. “What’s going on? Why are you screaming!?”

While Nishinoya, Tanaka and Hinata apologized, you fell to the floor in a fit of laughter. Your adrenaline had spiked and fallen three times in the last ten minutes and the reason why was hilarious. Hinata turned to you with a bright red face. “This was all your fault!”

Suddenly a booming voice echoed through the walls. “KNOCK IT OFF!!!”

Oops. You ticked off Daichi.

You ended up clinging to Asahi on the way back to the room, since he was arguably the scariest thing in the building next to a ghost, at least with his hair down. He didn’t have hurt feelings from the encounter, thankfully… he was just happy you couldn’t see the red on his face while you hung off his arm like a koala. 

After that brief adventure you decided that ghost stories were no longer on the slumber party agenda…

By the time you got back to the room it was time for the first-year boys to shower. While you waited for your turn, you played a card game with Daichi and Sugawara while Asahi and Nishinoya did their hair and Tanaka tried to figure out the “optimum” bedroll for sleeping. You even got to spend a few minutes with Ennoshita and Kinoshita, two players you had hardly even introduced yourself to.

The weight of the day was finally starting to get to you when the first-years came back from their showers. Somehow Hinata’s hair was still spiky even when wet. 

Coach Ukai knocked on the door and stepped in briefly. “(Y/N). I’ve cleared the bathroom for you. You’re free to shower now.”

You nodded, pushing yourself up off the floor as you replied. “Okay, thanks!”

You gathered your clothes from your bag as Coach glared at the boys. “Now, Professor Takeda and I are in the next room over. I don’t exactly agree with letting (Y/N) stay in here with you… but as long as she is I don’t want to hear any funny business!” He pointed his finger, glancing over all the boys.

You shook your head in embarrassment. “I’ll behave, Coach. I’m practically one of the boys. I’m staying in here and nobody can stop me!”

Coach Ukai muttered. “It’s not you I’m worried about…”

Tanaka raised his hand, taking a step towards you. “Wait!! Someone should keep watch outside the bathroom… you know…” His face grew red as he continued. “to…make sure… nobody… peeps…”

You ducked as Coach threw a pillow at the bald wing spiker. “YOU WOULD BE THE FIRST PERSON TO PEEP, YOU CREEP!”

You rolled your eyes, ducking out of the room and heading to the showers before anyone could follow you. Even though your cheeks were dusted red from Coach’s mind being in the gutter about your stay, your heart swelled with happiness. You had never imagined a time in your life where you would be invited to a sleepover, let alone one with over ten people, all of whom you enjoyed being around.

You showered quickly and came back to a room full of arguing boys. You stopped in the doorway with squinted eyes as you tried to discern the conversation.

“No! I already put my stuff there.” Hinata’s voice reached your ears first.

Kageyama hit him in the head with a pillow. “I don’t care! You can’t sleep by me!”

Nishinoya jumped in. “You can’t take that spot anyway, it’s by Asahi therefore it’s mine!”

Tsukishima and Yamagushi sighed off to the side. “As long as you don’t try to take our corner, I don’t care.”

“Guys I don’t think it really matters where we sleep…” Sugawara piped up with a kind smile, trying to calm the boys down.

Tanaka bared his fangs. “It does matter!! If we rearrange it so that (Y/N) sleeps in the middle, then two people get to sleep by her! If she stays on the edge, then only one of us gets to!!”

“The room is pretty crowded, so why don’t we put her along the top edge so then technically three people get to be close to her?” Ennoshita suggested.

You snickered, drawing the attention of the boys. Their faces lit up red as you stepped into the room. Tanaka and Nishinoya’s ears exploded as their faces reached maximum level of red from your messy, unbrushed, just-washed hair and kitty pajamas. “K-K-Kawaii….”

You felt your own face get hot as the attention continued to stay fixed on you. Even Tsukishima, who didn’t really like anything, had a slight dusting on his cheeks. You wouldn’t be surprised if this was the first time most of these boys had roomed with a girl, let alone seen her in her pajamas. It was quite unorthodox, but you weren’t one for following societal standards.

Hinata’s voice came back to him first. “(Y-N)! Where do you want to sleep???”

You cleared your throat, looking around the room. “Uh, well. I’d like to stay right under the window, if nobody has any issue with that?”

“HA!” Hinata sat his butt down where he lay his stuff moments earlier. You smiled as the rest of the boys started switching spots again, their banter rising slowly.

Daichi glanced up from his seat next to Sugawara. “Do you have a preference on who is nearest you? I can move these idiots around if you’re uncomfortable with their arrangement…”

You waved your hand dismissively. “I really don’t mind, thank you! Hinata would be my first choice since he’s my best friend, but it seems I don’t have to worry about that.”

Hinata was hissing at other boys as they came too close. He had claimed the space nearest you as his own. Tanaka and Nishinoya pouted, making a bet against each other to see who would grab the bed nearest yours tomorrow. Kageyama was bartering with Asahi to let him switch places so that he wasn’t next to Hinata, which caused problems between him and Nishinoya. Everyone else seemed content with their placements.

Daichi shook his head. “Alright.” He raised his voice so everyone in the room could hear. “You got five minutes to figure out your problems. Then it’s lights out.”

“Yes, captain!”

When Daichi said five minutes, he meant it. After five minutes and some quick arguing later, the lights went out. The room stayed partly lit from cell phones as everyone scrolled through various media to wind themselves down before going to sleep. For the first time all day, it was finally quiet.

You, of course, went straight to your messages with Apple. A smile crept on your face and your heart fluttered just opening the app. You tried not to squeal from excitement as you saw a new message.

** New Message from Applepie95 **

**Apple:** Coach wore me out today. How’d your first day at training camp go?

You started typing a reply when Hinata rolled over, looking at your phone. “Ooooh, is Applepie still awake?” He whispered, gaining the attention of Kageyama in the next bedroll over.

“Oh yeah, aren’t you supposed to be meeting him on Friday or something?”

You groaned as half the room erupted in whispers about your online friend. The tranquility of the silence had been broken. You spoke just loud enough for everyone to hear, but not loud enough to bother the adults in the next room over. “We can talk about it tomorrow, just go to sleep!”

“’Kaaayyyy…”

As the voices trailed off again, Hinata snickered. He was practically on your bedroll as his eyes fixed on your phone. “Whatcha gunna say?”

You placed a hand on Hinata’s face and forcefully rolled him over, telling him to go to mind his own business. You had to hold back laughter as he rolled right back over, watching as you typed up a response.

**Noodles:** It went great! I helped my friend work on his receives most of the day. We just tuned out the lights. Said friend is staring at me so I’m gunna log off. Chat again tomorrow!

You plopped your phone down beside your pillow as you got comfy. A minute later your phone buzzed. Reaching out for it your hand hit Hinata’s as he snatched it from you. You slapped Hinata’s arm as he opened the message. To your utter embarrassment, he read it out loud.

“Ooo, he says goodnight, with a _heart_ emoji…”

You pummeled Hinata with your pillow trying to get your phone back. The room erupted in loud whispers again, some of them angry, some of them supportive, some of them curious. You looked at the message for yourself.

  
**Apple:** You’re staying in the same room as the club members?????

“You liar!!” You continued to suffocate Hinata with your pillow. His muffled laughter could be heard through the material. Some of the boys like Nishinoya and Tanaka sighed with relief, but Sugawara replied in a voice that could only be compared to the sight of suggestively wiggling eyebrows.

“You got excited for a minute though, didn’t you???”

The whispers slowly got louder until you buried yourself in your sleeping bag and covered your head with your pillow. After a couple minutes of chatter, Daichi’s voice came in like a wrecking ball.

“GO TO SLEEP!!”

Finally, silence, once again.

You pulled your phone under the covers with you, texting with Apple for a few minutes until your eyelids got heavy. The extra physical exertion you performed today had taken its toll. With one last goodbye text, you powered down your phone and drifted off to sleep.

The sound of something clicking stirred you from your slumber. You woke up to Hinata’s arm flung over your face and his knee in your side. Pushing him aside, you sat up and saw Sugawara with his phone out and pointed towards you. With a sleepy voice you questioned. “Were you taking pictures???” 

Sugawara snickered. “Guilty!”

You let out a big yawn and rubbed your eyes. “I hope you got my good side…”

You squinted against the light pouring in from the window as you glanced around the room. Over half the team was already awake and out the door. You stretched, wincing against the noticeable twinge in a variety of muscles that were now sore from yesterday. You groaned. You still had the whole week left of training and you were already regretting it…

Sugawara put his phone away and smiled softly at you. He spoke with a quiet voice that was kind to your waking ears. “You still have an hour before breakfast. You can go back to sleep if you want.”

Hinata stirred beside you, his eyes in slits as he groggily looked around the room. “Where’d Kageyama go?”

Sugawara turned to the ball of sunshine. “He went out for a morning run.”

You cringed at the idea of a morning run while Hinata shed all his tiredness in an instant and jumped up, pulling off his shirt. “I forgot to set an alarm! I need to go running too!”

You looked at him in confusion for a moment before shielding your eyes as the focused boy started shedding his trousers. “SHOYO!!”

Sugawara yelled. “INDECENT!!”

Hinata squeaked in embarrassment as he quickly pulled his pajama shorts back on. “S-s-s-s-sorry!!!”

You heard the door slide open and another yell. “What’s all the… CHANGE IN THE BATHROOM YOU IMBECILE!”

You shook your head at the voice, your hands still shielding your eyes. It was Daichi, and he was too loud for your morning ears.

“I’M SORRY!” Hinata repeated while grabbing his clothes and bolting out the door. You wearily slid your hands down your face. The noise had woken up Asahi, who was glancing around the room wildly with confusion. The only other person still in the room was Yamaguchi, who hadn’t moved a muscle. He was still drooling happily on his pillow.

The sight of Yamaguchi made you tired again. You grabbed Hinata’s pillow and put it over your head to shield your eyes from the sun as you laid back down. “I think I’ll take you up on that offer, Suga…”

You heard his “uh-hum” of approval before you passed out again. You were never a morning person, so if you didn’t *have* to get up, you weren’t going to.

The club had to forcefully wake both you and Yamaguchi when it was time to put bedrolls and pillows away so they could go have breakfast. Kiyoko had arrived early and assisted Coach Ukai and Takeda in the cooking, so your assistance wasn’t needed, but you still felt bad for oversleeping. Then it was already time for practice.

You stretched with the lot of them and helped the boys and Kiyoko with various tasks. You stopped every half hour or so to send updates on your activities to Apple as an excuse to take a breather. You weren’t going to last all week if you went full out like yesterday again.

About an hour before lunch, you joined the boys for a run. You lagged behind with Yamaguchi and Tsukishima keeping you company in the “lazy” group, while Hinata and Kageyama sprinted with all their might in the front of the pack. You kept laughing at Hinata as he continued to yell at the top of his lungs, thinking it made him go faster or something. But, just like he ends up spiking with his eyes closed, he must also sprint with his eyes closed, because at one point when we were supposed to turn, he went straight.

Sugawara tried calling out to him, but the orange haired maniac kept going. His own yells were too loud for him to hear anything else. When you caught up to Sugawara, you offered to go after him so the rest of the people who needed to _actually_ train could stay on track. Also, as it turns out, you were the only one who had their phone with, go figure.

You found yourself jogging the street, glancing both ways each time there was an intersection to see if you could find your bubbly friend. It was a good fifteen minutes before you ran into a dead end. Looking right, you saw nothing. You huffed, mentally cursing the boy as you turned left. 

Your heart jumped in excitement. Standing a few yards ahead of you stood the shortie with the bright orange hair. He was looking away from you, waving to a pair of people whose figures you couldn’t really make out from that distance. “Thank God, I found him…”

“Shoyo!!” You walked up to him, catching your breath. 

He glanced back at you and smiled. “Oh! (Y/N)!”

Your eyes followed Hinata’s gaze back to the two people he had been talking to. They wore red track suits, and the shorter of the two had a duffel bag hanging over his shoulder. The taller figure had spiky black hair and didn’t acknowledge your presence as they walked away. The shorter of the two had bleached hair that was black at the roots, and he glanced over his shoulder at the sound of your voice. His eyes caught yours for the briefest of moments before he turned back around.

“Who was that?” You asked out of curiosity.

“Don’t know. They were volleyball players though!”

Your heart skipped a beat for a moment when you heard the words “volleyball players”. Now you wish you knew what Nekoma’s colors were. You shook your head. Nekoma was coming from Tokyo… the chances of running into anyone from the team before the match on Friday was highly unlikely. 

You had to admit though, the pudding-headed one was pretty cute. You wish you could have seen his face a little better, or at least said “hi” or “thanks for distracting my friend so we didn’t lose him.”

You pulled out your phone and texted Sugawara, letting him know that you were on your way back with Hinata in tow. The spunky ball of sunshine somehow made the trip back into another race which left you breathless and starving. After a light lunch, there was more training, a large supper, and a much-needed shower before bed. That was the cycle of the days leading up to the dumpster showdown.

Up until the last night.

You had just come back from your nightly shower when the boys ambushed you as soon as you walked through the door.

“What’s this about a game?!”

“Hinata told us more about tomorrow…”

“If Apple is in Nekoma…”

“Is it true??”

“We’re going to see who can sniff out who first?”

Voices called out to you all at once with so many questions you could hardly hear all of them. Your face instantly flushed red at their inquisitive faces staring at you. Nishinoya pushed into the front of the group and bounced up and down excitedly. “What’s the plan for tomorrow!”

Your lips widened into a big goofy grin. “Let me in and I’ll tell ya!”

The boys parted before you like Moses and the Red Sea. “We met over video games, so we are going to come full circle by playing a game.”

Hinata raised his hand. “Well, obviously? We have a practice match…”

Kageyama slapped Hinata on the back of his head. “Not THAT game, Boke!”

“Whoever said it earlier, yes, we are going to see which one can figure the other out first.” You walked down the line of boys like a drill sergeant giving orders to his men. “We agreed to these rules. One: You can’t ask the players what positions they play. Two: You can’t ask about the usernames. And Three: the mission must be completed before the match starts, which would reveal his position as the setter and defeat the purpose of the game.”

Kageyama visibly fumed again at the mention of Apple being the other team’s setter. 

Yamaguchi piped up with a question. “Are we allowed to help you?”

You nodded your head. “Yes! I will also get Kiyoko in on the gig so I don’t look like the only manager eyeing the other team. That would give me away really easily.”

Asahi scratched the back of his head. “That doesn’t sound very fair. I mean, there’s a whole team for you to judge, while there’s only two girls in Karasuno…”

You smirked at the giant. “I planted seeds of doubt regarding my gender. Rooming in here with you guys helped with that, funnily enough. Professor Takeda also has a manager’s uniform, so there is a guy for him to observe as well since he doesn’t look any older than some of our first years.” The guys pulled a ‘not-bad’ face and nodded their heads. “I’m honestly relying on Kiyoko for his issue. All the guys flock to her, so there’s no doubt in my mind that Apple’s teammates will be trying to get him to forcibly pick her just on beauty alone.” You paused, pumping your fist into the air. “We aren’t going to make it easy for him!”

“Not that I care…” Tsukishima scoffed. “But how are we supposed to help you if we don’t know what he’s like?”

“Tsukki…” Yamaguchi scowled at his friend.

“He’s lazy. Hates exerting himself more than anything. Setter, obviously. He loves video games and has a hard time putting them down for practice and warmups. From the picture I have painted in my head as well as the general vibe I get while playing multiplayer games with him, he’s probably quiet and observant.”

Sugawara snickered. “What’s the prize if we win?”

Nishinoya grabbed Hinata’s arm and pulled on it excitedly. “Ooh ooh!!! If we help you win, will you let us take you on a date???”

Your eyebrows furrowed together as you glanced around the group, seeing plenty of wide eyes and grins. “I mean, if you can figure out how to plan that… then, sure, I guess?”

Tanaka and Nishinoya cheered loudly, jumping excitedly. “Alright!”

“We can still win her over!”

You rolled your eyes, dismissing your arsenal of testosterone and plopping yourself down on your bedroll. The captain sat down next to you, the random roll of the sleeping positions putting him closest to you that night. You turned to him with your clock app open on your phone. “Daichi-senpai. What time do we leave tomorrow?”

He hummed, thinking in his head. “Breakfast is at 5:30, then we leave at 6. We get there at 7 and the match is scheduled to start at 8.”

You nodded, making an alarm for 4:30 on your phone. “An hour should give me plenty of time to get ready, right?”

Daichi sweatdropped. “Don’t ask me. Hinata and Kageyama said they were going running at 3…”

You visibly shuddered at the thought. I can’t function without at least 8 hours sleep…”

Daichi laughed heartily. “I can’t remember the last time I got 8 hours.”

Sugawara leaned over from the next bedroll over. “Shame on you, captain! Sleep is important for your health.”

“Hai, hai…” Daichi rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged.

You glanced at the time. It was nearly ten already. If you went to sleep in five minutes, you could still make your eight hours.

“Alright, lights out!” Daichi clapped, summoning the remaining boys that had not yet sat down on their bedrolls. “You need to rest for the practice match tomorrow and (Y/N) needs her beauty sleep.”

The first part of Daichi’s sentence was completely ignored, but the second part elicited a very quick, very loud response of “OSSU!!!”

You laid down and grabbed your phone, opening the messaging app to see some new messages from Apple. It was a rundown of his day. Sounded like he had another eventful day of training, just as you had. The last message, however, stuck out to you.

**Apple: Crazy how eight years boils down to this.**

**Apple: I’m really looking forward to meeting you for real :)**

You smiled. There were no words that could sum up the feelings you were experiencing inside at that moment, so you settled for something short.

**“See you tomorrow, Apple!”**

You threw you phone to the side, face down and notifications off. You smiled into your pillow, excitement bubbling up within you so high that you wondered how you would get any sleep at all. 

It was finally happening.

You were going to meet Applepie95!!

\---------------------------------------------

-Kenma Pov-

_Hmm. She must have gone to sleep already._

Kenma glanced down at his phone, reading the time stamp that said a half hour prior to the current time. Noodles usually replied fairly quick this time of the day, so he shrugged it off and traded his phone for his PSP. His teammates were making a ruckus in the room as they started setting up their beds. Kenma was sitting on his already, ignoring them and passing the time until they were ready to finally pass out from today’s training.

“Does our fated opponent, Karasuno, have a female manager? Yes or no?” Taketora, a man with a shaved head except for a bleached fluffy mohawk stood in front of two other teammates, talking as he laid out his bed. “My yakisoba bun says no!”

“What?” Another teammate, this one with short, spiky brown hair, piped up. “I want them to have one, so I say yes!!”

“Same here! I agree with Inuoka!” Yuki, a kind-eyed boy with black hair nodded along.

Taketora threw down his pillow before pointing at the pair. “You idiots! We don’t have one, so it would be frustrating if they did!” The two merely groaned, listening as their senpai rambled on. “What if it’s far worse, and their manager is both female and beautiful???” Tears pricked at his eyes as he overdramatically threw himself towards the window. “I would never forgive that! Ever!!”

Kenma peeked over his PSP to see his best friend and captain, Tetsuro Kuroo, becoming visibly agitated with a twitching eyebrow and hands grabbing tightly at some papers in his hands. Taketora slid the window open, practically climbing out of it as he yelled into the night. “If that time should come, prepare to meet your fate, Karasuno!”

Kenma looked back down at his PSP as Kuroo threw his papers down and whipped his head to glare at his teammate. “Yamamoto! SHUT UP!!”

Taketora brushed over Kuroo, turning away from the window and his eyes landing on the pudding-headed setter. “Hey, what do you think, Kenma?”

A small huff of air escaped Kenma’s nose in a hidden internal chuckle. Of course he didn’t have to think, because he already knew. Not only did Karasuno have one lady manager, but two. As of their appearance, well, he couldn’t be sure if they were beautiful or not. He didn’t think a response was required, but after a minute of silence he raised his head from his PSP and saw three pairs of eyes on him. His voice was quiet as he replied. “It wouldn’t matter either way.”

Taketora huffed, his squinting eyes looking back out the window. “I knew you would say that…”

Inuoka and Yuki started gossiping among themselves while Taketora pouted. Kenma bit at his lip, deep in thought. Not even paying attention to his game anymore. 

“But…” The chatter in the room leveled off as Kenma’s barely-there whisper of a voice spoke again. “I am looking forward to our game with them, just a little.” Kenma’s eyes flitted back to his game as the tiniest smile appeared on his lips, matching the unusual sparkle in his eyes. His thoughts flickered back to the short bright-eyed kid he ran into earlier in the week. He said his name was Hinata Shoyo, and his shirt said he was from Karasuno, which meant he was one of the members he would be fighting against tomorrow. But that wasn’t what caught his mind’s eye today… instead it was the girl that came running up to the shorty just as he was leaving.

Now, Kenma was great at deductions. It was what his entire team relied on. Yet, as soon as Kenma confirmed that it was a female calling after Shoyo, his shyness kicked into high overdrive and kept him from getting a good look at her.

He knew he wouldn’t forget that voice, though.

Whoever it was sounded like an absolute angel. Regardless on which manager of Karasuno it was, his teammates were going to be hit with a truck of heartbreak. If she had been one of the managers at all.

Deep down in his gut, he silently hoped that was the voice of Noodles. But he didn’t let himself get too set on it.

Taketora, Inuoka, and Rin gasped. The mohawk kid’s voice boomed around the room. “Mr. Unenthusiastic Kenma is actually looking forward to a game!?”

Kuroo clicked his tongue. “Yamamoto?” Suddenly his voice went deep and scary. “Would you like me to put your excess energy to use by upping your training workload???”

Taketora jumped, a chill running down his spine. “S-sorry sir…”

Kenma smiled silently to himself, a warm feeling spreading through his body. He could feel a knowing gaze coming from Kuroo but he chose to ignore it. 

No, it wouldn’t matter either way. It wouldn’t matter what Noodles looked like. If she was even a fraction as gorgeous as her personality, he knew she would be beautiful. After all, that personality was what kept him coming back to her for almost eight years now. Eight years, and the only other person to stick around that long was Kuroo, and that was in part because he was Kenma’s neighbor growing up. To still be friends after eight years and have never met in person?

Surely, that’s something special. And tomorrow, it was finally happening.

The major matchup everyone was waiting for. Not Karasuno vs. Nekoma, but Apples vs. Noodles. Even Kenma could get excited over something like that.

Kenma sighed as everyone started piling into the room, finally nearing time to sleep. Putting his PSP away, he gave one last glance at his phone before crawling into his bedroll. His heart sped up at the sight of a blinking notification light in the top corner. Unlocking his phone, he glanced at the notification bar. It was a message from Noodles! It was short. It was sweet.

** New Message from ThatRamenLife **

“See you tomorrow, Apple!”

Kenma swallowed hard as his heart skipped a beat.

_It left him wanting more._

\--------------------------------------------------------

You know the way Hinata looks when he gets really excited about something? Wide-eyed, staring, vibrating everywhere? That was you while you were sitting up front on the bus heading over to the gymnasium that Nekoma was playing at. Your nerves were getting the better of you, and you were confident that by the time you got there you would explode. 

Putting on your best poker face before even stepping off the bus nearly wasn’t enough to stop you from going wide-eyed at the sight of the other team as they walked out to greet you.

Red and black jerseys.

The same colors as those guys Hinata ran into the other day.

Karasuno formed a line as Nekoma did. The players stood in front of one another, staring each other down. From the side-eyed glances you and Kiyoko were getting, you could tell that Apple had his team in on the game, too. This would be more difficult that you anticipated…

Your eyes hovered over the pudding-haired player for a moment. Without a doubt, he was the one Hinata had been talking to when he got lost during training. Even if you hadn’t recognized him, Hinata’s verbal exclamation confirmed it for you. 

The teams bowed in unison. “Thank you for the opportunity!”

Your heart was racing. Any one of these players could be Apple. No, that wasn’t what was causing your anxiety. It was knowing that one of them WAS Apple. One of these people had been your best friend for nearly half your life. You would think that a connection like that would pull you towards him like an invisible destiny cord, telling you in your heart immediately which one was him.

Alas, life is not like a fairytale. You would need to pull your own weight here.

After a few brief words between captains, the teams started heading into the gymnasium for setup and warmup. Your eyes darted between players, trying to judge their personalities and their connections. Apple may be known for his deductive reasoning, but you weren’t too far behind in the intelligence department, yourself.

Kiyoko and you got let into the storage room by a nice, kind-looking player with a buzzcut that kind of reminded you of Daichi. He said his name was Nobuyuki Kai. You got the feeling he was a third-year, so you could most likely cross him off the list. Unsurprisingly, he tried asking you and Kiyoko some personality questions, that both of you answered in the vaguest ways possible. He seemed impressed by your teamwork.

Another player, Morisuke Yaku, a short player with a heart of gold helped the three of you with the setup of nets and pulling out the baskets of volleyballs. You couldn’t tell what year the shortie was, because of his height being so similar to Hinata’s, so he was a possibility. However, he gave off an air of friendliness that, although it may sound insulting, didn’t quite fit the person you expected Apples to be.

Those were the only two players you to go do a one-on-one with at first. The other players had started running around the gym and doing stretches, not-so-subtly shooting glances in yours and Kiyoko’s direction as you helped your Karasuno boys get ready.

You didn’t have to help set balls for the boys during warm-ups today thanks to Coach Ukai being present, so you had more time to listen in on the other team and made deductions. After all, you had an ace up your sleeve that you hadn’t told anyone else about. You just needed to find him…

You were walking past the Nekoma team after having filled water bottles when you heard it. “Oi, Kuroo!”

Your eyes shot to the side, locating the player who answered the call. He was their captain if you remembered right. He was incredibly tall and had spiky hair, with a side-bang hanging on the right side of his face. Intimidating, but gave off a friendly air as he talked with his player for a moment before slapping him on the back with a smile. 

Kuroo was Apple’s best friend. If you watched Kuroo, you would be able to find Apple.

Suddenly your stomach tensed. You made it back to your side of the court to set down the waters before nearly doubling over, Hinata running over to you in a panic. “(Y/N)!!”

You waved a hand at him, standing back up as straight as you could before asking him where the bathrooms were. With him and his nerves, he always knows where the nearest bathroom was, so he escorted you out of the gym and to the lady’s room.

He stood just inside the bathroom with you per your request while you sat on the toilet, breaking out in a cold sweat and shaking nearly half to death as an anxiety attack set in. To be honest, it took you by surprise, considering how excited you had been just ten minutes earlier. But for some reason hearing Kuroo’s name brought the game to reality, and you wondered if you were actually ready to meet Apple, after all. Maybe you could back out somehow…

“You can’t back out now, (Y/N).” Hinata’s voice washed over in a calm whisper unlike his usual self. You listened intently, focusing on his words helping to distract yourself from your trembling muscles. “I know I haven’t technically known you very long, but when you talk about this guy, that’s the happiest I ever see you. Not that you aren’t usually happy, but still...” Hinata stumbled over his words, trying to find the right thing to say. “The whole team is here to back you up. If you’ve known him all this time, he can’t be any worse in person, right?”

You took a deep breath, holding it in for as long as you could before slowly exhaling, slowing your heartrate forcefully. 

“What I’m trying to say I guess… is that if you can make friends with everyone in Karasuno after having no friends at all, you can meet an old online friend in person!”

To some, the words may have come off as belittling, but in Hinata’s cheerful, optimistic tone, you know he meant it as support. He was saying that you were better than your anxiety. He was saying that you already knew this person, so there was no logical reason to worry. If Apple didn’t want to meet you, he would have said so.

You just hoped he wouldn’t be disappointed with what he got…

“If he isn’t happy with you, well then I’ll beat him up myself!!”

You let out a small huff of air as a smile crept on your face. “Even… even if he’s that tall scary guy?”

You could almost hear Hinata shiver as he stuttered. “Ye-yeah! Especially if it’s that tall scary guy!”

You let out a laugh, your nerves finally wearing off. The practice match would be starting soon. You were running out of time. Shaking your head and your hands you steeled yourself, checking your appearance in the mirror before leaving the bathroom. Your anxiety was slowly being replaced by excitement once again as you came back out onto the court.

Half of the team came over to you to check on how you were doing, having noticed your absence. You assured them you just needed to go to the bathroom, even though you brushed them off when they questioned why Hinata had gone with, then.

The boys started listing information off about the boys that they had learned while you were away. Kiyoko stood next to you, nodding along to keep the other team from guessing you. You only half-listened, watching the Nekoma members instead as they did warm-ups and talked amongst themselves, assumedly doing the same thing you were, now.

You knew Apple would not have overlooked the fact that you knew Kuroo’s name. You also knew that the raven-haired captain was his best friend. Knowing him, he would probably tell Kuroo to stay away in order to prevent you from making the connection between them through simple body language, but you were smart enough to know he would do that. Would Apple have been smart enough to use reverse psychology, though, and be more outgoing than usual to throw you off?

You were betting not.

Keeping your eyes on Kuroo, you made mental notes on who he was talking to the most and the least. Checking off characters that seemed too old, too talkative, or was being interacted with too much. After just a few minutes of observation, your heart skipped a beat.

It had to be him.

Your eyes landed once more on the bleach-haired, roots-showing boy. He was an average height, shorter than most of your teammates but taller than you by maybe an inch or two. You wouldn’t expect someone of that height to be an ace, and you wouldn’t expect someone that low energy to be a libero. He was a little short to be a blocker, and was too quiet to be a vice-captain. His body language gave off a vibe that he didn’t mind being here, but would rather be doing something else.

Your mind flipped back to when you met his eyes a few days prior. Now that you thought about it, that tall friend that hadn’t looked back at you or Hinata must have been Kuroo. That confirmed the best friend theory.

Your anxiety washed away instantly. You had technically already met him. Now you just had one thing left to do…

There were a few ways you could approach him. You could bring Kiyoko with you, and make him choose a girl, but that might be weird. You could have one of the boys go up to him and ask, too. You could just walk up to him, but then who is to say he wouldn’t try to lie about having figured you out, first? You tsk’d to yourself, wishing you had outlined how you were to accomplish this.

You decided to pull out your phone while he wasn’t looking and snap a photo. Opening your messages, you attached the file and sent it to him with the following caption: **“Found you!”**

After a few seconds, Kuroo reached into his pocket and you smirked to yourself as he pulled out a phone. You shook your head. “That sly dog, he even had Kuroo take his phone away so I couldn’t use it to fish him out.” You whispered to yourself.

After a minute Kuroo’s lips curved up into a smirk. He turned to the man you had taken a picture of. “Kenma!” He called out. Your heart palpitated. Was that his name? Kenma?

The pudding haired boy raised his head from grabbing a ball from the pit.

“She Sherlock’d you, bro.”

His amber eyes widened before glancing over to our side of the court. All club activities stopped, as both teams watched on with curiosity on what was going to happen next. Your eyes met his briefly before he dropped his gaze to the ball in his hands, his hair blocking your view of his face. He must have whispered something, because the Nekoma team started talking amongst themselves.

“Kenma… lost?”

“He never loses a game!”

“Well, which one is she, then?”

“I don’t think we know, yet.”

A shit-eating smirk crossed your face as Tanaka, Nishinoya and Hinata grouped up, running over to Apple.. er, Kenma… to interrogate him. The Nekoma team backed up their setter, butting heads with the overzealous crows. 

You burst out laughing, unable to control your amusement any longer. Everything you had seen from this man in the last half hour was exactly how you imagined Apple to be, except maybe a little shorter. But nobody could blame you for that.

You began your walk over to Kenma with a little remnant of laughter in your breaths. The players on Nekoma’s team all jaw dropped or went wide-eyed at your approach. Kenma raised his head as you pulled your teammates away from him, shooing them off. Ukai blew his whistle and called the team back to resume warm-ups, and the Nekoma members did the same.

That left you and Kenma standing by the net, in front of a ball pit, seeing eye-to-eye for the very first time.

You felt your face flush a little as you extended a hand in greeting. He was a lot cuter up close and it made you nervous. “(L/N) (F/N). Nice to meet you for real, Applepie.”

You could be wrong, but you thought behind his hair he also became a little flustered at the meeting. 

He shyly took your hand in his as he told you his name. “Kozume Kenma.” You giggled excitedly as a tiny smile appeared on his face. “You can call me Kenma.”

God, he was adorable.

Your attention was pulled away by Kuroo calling out to Kenma from across the net. “Don’t replace me now, you hear?”

“You were never even a contender.” Kenma’s soft voice replied with a hint of sarcasm. “I’ve always preferred Noodles more than you.” 

Kuroo gasped exaggeratedly. “Ouch man! That’s just cruel!”

You snickered at the nickname. Kenma turned back to you, apologizing. “Sorry… I’m used to calling you that.” He paused, looking uncertain. “Is it ok if I call you (F/N)?”

You nodded, squeezing your hand around his as you realized you were still holding it. “Of course!” You let go of his hand just as the coaches called for clean up so we could start the match. 

You turned away from Kenma, waving a hand as you headed back to your team’s bench. “I gotta help set up, I’ll catch you during breaks?”

You didn’t get very far before Kenma’s panicked voice called out to you in a slightly higher pitch than normal. “Wait!” You turned around, tilting your head as he squeezed the ball in his hands. Another small smile appeared on his face. “Don’t forget to watch me play.”

You didn’t know why, but the simple phrase left you speechless. You nodded back at him with a smile, turning around quickly before he could see your face heat up. He reminded you of a cat, and it was nearly too much to handle! You just wanted to hold him close and pet him!

But that would be weird. _You were just friends, after all_ … you mentally told yourself just as you looked up to see Tanaka rubbing Hinata’s head in a similar fashion. You chuckled. _Maybe a pet or two would be ok_ …

At first, the boys of Karasuno believed that they were better than Nekoma due to wracking up the points quickly in the first half of the first set. Your team may have truly surprised Nekoma with your quick freak courteously of Hinata and Kageyama. You, however, having kept an eye on Kenma, knew something was up. You leaned over to Coach Ukai and whispered.

“I guess they don’t call these guys the cats for nothing, huh?” You pointed out, feeling the other Coach’s eyes on you from across the gym.

Coach Ukai shook his head. “Right. They’re saving their energy and watching us closely. It’s giving me a real shiver up my spine…”

Takeda nodded. “I feel like they’re stalking us…”

A shiver ran up your spine as an image of the players across the net flashed in your mind. They had all glanced over in your direction, their eyes gleaming like a cat’s in the night. Tanaka was right.

They were _definitely_ stalking us.

Slowly but surely the points started piling in Nekoma’s direction. One of their players started closing in on Hinata’s movements, and Kenma had tricked Tsukishima into going the wrong direction a couple times with a simple glance.

These guys were smart. The game made Karasuno look like a newly hatched crow while Nekoma was a full adult, experienced hunter of a cat. When their one player successfully caught up with Hinata, you knew your fate instantly.

Karasuno never stood a chance.

The first game ended in Karasuno’s defeat without the chance to talk with Kenma at all, but that was alright. As soon as the game ended, Hinata declared another game, and the coaches laughed, obliging instantly. “That’s what we’re here for, isn’t it?” Coach Nekomata answered jovially. “I’m calling a ten-minute break, and then we can play again!”

After taking a minute to encourage your friends on your side of the court, you jogged over to Nekoma’s side while they were having a meeting. You stood to the side respectfully until Coach Nekomata was finished. To your surprise, he smirked at your presence. “Kozume, I think someone wants to talk to you.”

The entire team whirled around. You waved awkwardly, smiling at all of them. “You guys are really good!” You complimented, not wanting to look like you were only here for Kenma, because that would be rude.

Kuroo walked up to you first, placing a hand on your head and ruffling your hair. You shrunk under his touch, but he stood fast. “Not gunna lie, shrimpy. Knowing you’re smarter than my man Kenma has me on edge. I saw you watching us. Get any good pointers for your crew?”

You tried to shake your head but couldn’t, so you settled to shrug your shoulders instead. “Inconclusive. Ask me again after the next game.”

“Sassy little one, aren’t you?” He ruffled your hair again as the rest of the team came over to introduce themselves to you properly. “No wonder Kenma likes you.”

Kenma parted the crowd with his quiet presence. “Leave her alone, guys.”

Kuroo exclaimed above the crowd “Oh, jealous are we?”

You snickered, feeling your face heat up as you saw a tint of rose appearing on Kenma’s as he tried to pry Kuroo’s hand away from your skull. “Kuroo…”

Kuroo laughed like a madman as he released you from his grasp. The rest of the team backed off, too. “Alright, alright! We’ll leave you alone with your girlfriend!”

You and Kenma both shouted his name from embarrassment. “Kuroo!!”

You shook your head to ease away the embarrassment as the group left you alone. Kenma glanced behind you and shivered, making you glance back to see the entire Karasuno team staring directly into Kenma’s soul with focused gazes. You laughed them off. “Don’t mind them!”

“Yeah…yeah….” Kenma stuttered quietly, looking down at his feet. You knew you weren’t good at starting conversation, but it seemed that Kenma might be even worse at it than you. Thankfully, you knew exactly where to start.

“Oh, did you get the chance to play Dishonored?”

Kenma’s face rose so that his eyes met yours. His earlier hesitation seemed to disappear. “No, is it good?”

You jumped in your spot. “What?! You seriously haven’t played it?!” You dramatically threw your hands in the air. “It’s amazing! The story, the hidden objects, _the graphics_ …”

Kenma’s lips turned up in the smallest of smiles as he chuckled under his breath. “I have it, I just haven’t gotten around to playing it yet.” His gaze glanced over to his best friend who was making silly faces at you two. “That idiot has me helping him beat Borderlands during most of my freetime. I told him it was impossible to play by yourself but he insisted on trying it. Now I’m obligated to help him finish it because he got attached to his character.”

“Ugh, right? It’s so dumb. There need to be more single-player games. Multiplayer is great and all, but sometimes I just don’t vibe with the social setting.”

“Mood.”

The two of you stopped, raising a hand to each of your faces as you held back laughter at your use of nerdy terminology and geeking over video games. Tears pricked at the corner of your eyes as your heart swelled with joy. It hadn’t been more than five minutes, and already in that span it felt like you had never lived apart. Kenma felt like the missing puzzle piece to your life.

Unfortunately, the moment was gone all too soon as the coaches called for the next game.

Kenma was dragged away from you by Kuroo and Coach Nekomata shooed you back to your side of the court as they started the next game.

Between sets and between games you got to spend a few minutes with Kenma. The more time you spent with him the more open he became, and when sets finished he began smiling before you even got to him, which shocked all of his teammates, apparently, from the looks he was getting. At the end of the day, the teams had played five games and Karasuno lost every single one of them. Not surprisingly, Hinata was still bouncing with energy, and became depressed when the coach said they had to get ready to leave or they would miss the last train for the day.

As the sun began to set and the teams started packing and cleaning, your heart constricted at the unknown. You didn’t know when you would be able to see Kenma again, and he lived too far away for casual weekend visits. You had just gotten him back, it seemed. You were terrified to let him go again.

Sugawara must have caught on to your tension, because he purposefully stopped you as you went to grab your bag/purse before leaving the gym. “I’m excited to see you and your friend are getting along well! Now you have something to look forward to when we go to the Tokyo training camp next break.” Your eyes must have given away your enthusiasm, for Suga started laughing kindly at you. “We will have a whole week with Nekoma then. That should give you more time to connect.”

You threw your arms around Suga with a great thank-you before bounding outside to where the Nekoma team was gathering, just about ready to head for the train. Tanaka and Nishinoya glared at Suga, wondering how he managed to get such a wonderful hug from their precious manager.

You shook hands with the members of Nekoma along with the rest of your team. Hesitating for a moment when it came to Kenma, knowing you weren’t very good with goodbyes. As the rest of the team started saying farewell, you had to exert a lot of extra effort and energy just to look him in the eyes without crying. You really didn’t want to say goodbye.

“We’ll run into each other again real soon, I hear!” You squeak out excitedly. You were terrified your voice would betray the sadness in your heart. You wish you could have had more time with him now.

Kenma nodded, a small smile still plastered on his face. “Even though we didn’t have much time today…” he paused, thinking over his words carefully. “I had a lot of fun.”

Your eyes caught a group of Nekoma players off to the side, who were gossiping while staring at the two of you. You raised an eyebrow at them and they shielded their faces as if having been caught stealing from the cookie jar. You turned back to Kenma with a new smile on your face. “I did too!”

Hinata ran up to you, greeting Kenma before turning to you. “Coach says it’s time to go.”

You swallowed back a lump that formed in your throat. Your eyes burned as you shut them tight, looking anywhere but Kenma. You took a deep breath, preparing to say goodbye, when you were suddenly enveloped into a tight embrace.

Your eyes shot open to see golden locks of hair and a red hoodie. 

_Kenma was giving you a hug!_

Instinctually you reciprocated the gesture, laughing away the sadness as you made him grunt from the force of one of your deadly hugs that Tanaka and Nishinoya loved so much. Before your voice or eyes could fail you, you whispered to him. “See you soon, Kenma!”

You didn’t wait to hear his response before letting him go, turning and running for your bus as it fired up. Only once you got into the bus did you peek out the window to see Kuroo grabbing Kenma’s sleeve, dragging him towards the bus station. You caught his eyes one last time, exchanging a quick wave before the bus started moving in the opposite direction, forcing you to sit down.

Hinata saw seated next to you as always, bouncing around excitedly. As soon as your butt hit the cushion he turned to you with a wide grin. “So so so? What did you think of him? Was he everything you hoped?”

Tears pricked at the corner of your eyes. You felt like you lived an eternity in those brief moments with Kenma. Hinata started freaking out as one of those tears fell down your cheek, leaving a trail that glittered in the sunset. “Yeah. Everything.”

“Hey! Hey, don’t cry! Gyah, I’m sorry!” You lightly laughed as Hinata scrambled.

Kageyama, who sat directly behind you, reached up and hit Hinata on the back of the head. “Why’d you make her cry, boke?”

Nishinoya and Tanaka began foaming at the mouth at the word “cry”. You waved your hands in Hinata’s defense as you smiled. “Guys, calm down! I’m just so happy I can’t contain it.”

Daichi shook his head, glancing at Sugawara. “Watch, Nekoma is going to steal our manager.”

You laughed as the bus erupted in objections to that statement. You were so busy calming down the members and reassuring them that you wouldn’t leave that you didn’t even hear or feel your phone buzz in your pocket.

It was a long drive home after the excitement of the day, but as you bid Hinata farewell and walked up your short drive, you finally checked your phone. There was one new message and an attachment. Your stomach filled with butterflies as you opened it. It was a picture of you smiling with the members of Karasuno before one of the games.

**Applepie95:** I couldn’t be sure, so you did win fair and square… but I had hoped it was you. Thanks for today. <3

Your face flushed as the blood ran to your cheeks and ears, covering your face instinctually with a hand as you tried to shake off your excitement. The little heart at the end of his message was a first, and sent your mind and emotions whirling. It was all you could do to hold back a squeal.

The Tokyo training camp couldn’t come soon enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 24 years and I can finally apply some romantic experience into my stories XD It's not much, but I hope it shows through!! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and have a wonderful holiday season!
> 
> Next time: Tokyo Training Camp shenanigans and dating the rival?!


	10. Kozume Kenma - Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Tokyo Training camp with Fukurodani and Nekoma has begun!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is another honking huge one at 20k words, so grab some popcorn and enjoy!

“YOU FAILED YOUR FINALS?!”

A lot happened in Karasuno before the Tokyo training camp was set to begin.

Takeda-sensei dropped the F-bomb on the club a few weeks ago. Reminding everyone that if they didn’t pass their finals, make-up exams would be taking place the weekend Karasuno is supposed to leave for the Tokyo training camp. That meant whoever failed… wouldn’t get to go. 

You, of course, the wonderful and helpful manager that you were, ended up taking Hinata and Kageyama under your wing to cram a year’s worth of knowledge into their puny brains. This was a problem, considering that Hinata said he had almost never scored in the double-digits on a 60-point test in his life, and Kageyama declared that he had never even gotten that much, and seemed proud of it…

Kiyoko had found a first-year girl who was interested in joining as a second assistant manager for when you were to take over Kiyoko’s position as head manager. Thankfully, this girl was incredibly smart, albeit clumsy and incredibly shy, but assisted with the boys’ teaching. You also managed to rope Tsukishima into it with the bat of an eyelash or two. Yamaguchi tried to lend a hand, but he ended up offering moral support instead when his logic proved ineffective on the pair.

During all this chaos, Kenma and you had started talking a lot more. Your texts became more frequent and phone calls became a weekly occurrence. Trying to juggle your rekindled friendship with club activities and after-school tutoring, you were running low on the energy scale.

Then, after all that, the results of the tests came back today. And Hinata and Kageyama both failed one ‘of their tests.

“It was just the one test!” Hinata sobbed, handing over his paper. “After I turned it in I realized...” 

“They… they were all right…” As you looked it over, you started tearing up from frustration. “You just filled out the wrong answer!”

Kageyama grimaced. “I was two points shy of a passing grade…”

Nishinoya and Tanaka jumped in the air, high-fiving each other as they celebrated their own barely passing grades.

You shot them a glare. “You shouldn’t be happy with the bare minimum!”

The first-year boys hung their heads in shame. Tears pricked at their eyes as they started to realize that they weren’t going to get to fight against Fukurodani and Nekoma.

“What about you, (Y/N)?” Sugawara asked with a smile. “Did you pass everything?”

You reached into your bag, pulling out a stack of papers. “I don’t see why I wouldn’t have, so I didn’t even look.” Before you could flip through them yourself they were snatched up by Tanaka.

“Let’s see just how smart our future manager is…” Nishinoya, Asahi, Hinata and Kageyama all huddled around your papers as you sat proudly, assuming only the best from your work. You had been helping the boys study, after all, so there was no reason for you to fail anything.

“Perfect scores on your English and literature…” You nodded. Writing intensive courses were your forte. “A’s on science and history… only a C in phy-ed but nobody blames you there…” You continued to nod, happy with all the outcomes. Until they flipped to the last paper. Nishinoya gasped. “YOU FAILED ALGEBRA!”

Your heart dropped to your stomach as your body flushed, turning you whiter than a ghost as your ears started ringing from the shock. “I… what?”

Nishinoya shoved the paper into your face. “You got almost all of them wrong! You did worse than Kageyama!”

You held your head in your hands as tears pricked at your eyes. “I knew it seemed too easy…”

The majority of the club members hung their heads, a dark gloom filling the room.

Sugawara came to your side, patting you on the back gently. “It’s alright. You can just make it up like Hinata and Kageyama...”

“I hate math though!!” Your eyes spilled tears, moving Nishinoya and Tanaka to tears of their own. “There’s no way I’ll survive retaking it.” You stared at the ground determinedly. “I’d rather _die_.”

Yamaguchi chuckled. “Surely you’re being a bit dramatic?”

Your steely, cold eyes turned to the freckle-faced boy, sending a shiver down his spine. “ _Absolutely not.”_

“Y-you can’t die, senpai!” Yachi was in the same room, shaking like a leaf. “M-m-maybe I can stand in for you???”

Daichi deadpanned. “The teacher knows what (Y/N) looks like…”

Suddenly you started sobbing, scaring the members as your breaths came in gasps. “I WON’T BE ABLE TO SEE KENMA!!!”

“You only now just realized that?” Tsukishima jabbed, earning him a dirty glare from Yamaguchi.

Hinata turned to Daichi with wide, crying eyes. “Surely there’s something we can do!”

The captain shook his head. “I’m sorry, there’s nothing I can do.”

“But there _IS_ something _I_ can do!”

All eyes turned to Tanaka, who stood with his hands on his hips, beaming proudly at his younger classmates. “You guys each failed only one class, right? In that case, supplementary lessons should only last though the morning. So, as soon as you are done…” He paused with a glint in his eyes.

_“I’ll call in your ‘savior’”._

~

You, Hinata, and Kageyama finished your exams within the same minute, handing in your papers and racing down the halls faster than you had ever run in your lives. If your gym teacher had seen you, he would never have let you sit out in phy-ed again. 

Waiting for you outside was a woman dressed in a revealing tank top and tight jeans, leaning up against a van. Just from the look in her eyes alone, you knew she was the one Tanaka was talking about. She shot you a sly smile before throwing a thumb gesture towards the vehicle. “Hop in.”

Hinata stuttered, hiding behind you. “A-are you Tanaka-san’s sister?”

The woman winked at the shortcake. “Just call me Saeko-neesan. I’ll deliver ya’ to Tokyo faster than you can blink.”

Hinata and Kageyama shouted “Saeko-neesan!!” While you got a shiver down your spine. You remembered Tanaka’s last words before you agreed to the plan…

**_“However, I make absolutely no guarantees as to your safety, comfort, et cetera. while travelling.”_ **

It took all you could handle not to throw up from anxiety. Saeko was an insane driver, going God-knows how many kilometers over the speed limit and taking dangerous turns like it was Nascar. But, thankfully, everyone made it to the gymnasium alive before the training was done for the day.

Karasuno was in the middle of a set with Fukurodani, while Nekoma was playing a set with Ubugawa High when the three of you followed up by Saeko burst into the gym. You took a deep breath and smiled at the smell of testosterone, sweat, and determination. This setting had become like a second home to you, and you were glad to be back. Granted, you were only gone for a matter of hours, but for a moment when you learned you failed a test, you were scared that you would be cut off from club activities for a whole week, so needless to say, the sight brought you immense joy.

One of Fukurodani’s members let out an exasperated groan when he saw you. “Aw man! They’ve got ANOTHER cute manager? That’s seriously not fair!”

Daichi visibly sighed with relief at his member’s arrival, pulling your attention away from the oogling opponent. “Finally… after nine straight losses today, maybe we can win one!”

You slapped Hinata and Kageyama on the back with a smile. “Go get warmed up!! They obviously need you.”

“Ossu!”

Kiyoko walked up to you from the sidelines, sending a quick shrug in the direction of Nekoma. “Yachi is helping me for now, so you’re free to go say hi to Kenma for a bit. I think they’re almost done with a set.”

Your lips widened to the max. “Thank you so much! I’ll take you up on that offer.”

Kiyoko shot you a kind smile as you jogged around the perimeter of the courts and took a stance by the scoreboard that was keeping for Nekoma and Ubugawa. Kiyoko had been right… Nekoma was about to take this second set. From the looks on the rival’s faces, Nekoma must have taken the first set, too.

In the empty moments while one of the Nekoma members were taking their time to serve, Kenma’s eye caught yours. You flashed him a beaming smile that left a brush of pink dusting his cheeks, a hint of which you caught before he turned his back to you, focusing on the game as the ball coasted over the net.

While you were waiting, you looked over the teams. You hadn’t gotten to meet anyone in Fukurodani or Ubugawa yet, so there wasn’t much to discern or note there aside from a few individuals you were looking forward to connecting with. However, there was a new player on Nekoma’s team that caught your eye. He was incredibly tall, with striking white hair and piercing green eyes. He fumbled about on the court like a newborn fawn, stumbling over his own legs and others. He looked like a complete newbie to the game, which made you wonder why he was even on the court. 

Therefore, when he jumped up and spiked the ball, sending it barreling like a cannonball into the other team’s court and hitting the floor with a booming smack, you jumped in surprise. He must be the ace that hadn’t made it to the last practice match. After all, the boy had hit the ball with almost as much force as Oikawa. 

_So that’s why he’s on the team…_

The referee blew his whistle, and the scorekeeper flipped the number in Nekoma’s favor. The members of Ubugawa groaned as they started for the doors. You were right in assuming that Nekoma had won the first set, and that lanky new kid had just won Nekoma the game.

You clapped a congratulations to Nekoma. Kuroo saw you and shot you a wink that left your face bright red. Other teammates waved to you as you stayed out of the way while the coach gave some quick pointers during their water break, waiting patiently for a moment with your pudding-haired friend.

Unfortunately, Kuroo caught you first.

“So the stars are showing up fashionably late. Pisses me off!!” The tall bed-headed captain wrapped an arm around your shoulders, leaning on you with so much of his weight that you were afraid of falling over. “Oya, (Y/N)-chan~…” He poked a finger into your cheek. “You smile any wider and your face’ll get stuck like that!” You playfully batted his hand away as he continued. “Let me guess, you’re just over-the-moon excited to see me, right?”

You couldn’t hold back a small laugh at his remark. “ _Naturally,_ Kuroo. There’s _nobody else_ on the team I wanted to see. Nobody at _all_. I came all the way here _just for you_.” You added, your voice dripping with sarcasm.

Kuroo placed a hand over his heart dramatically while pulling a love-struck expression and hugging you tighter. “I knew it! All this time you were just using Kenma to get to me!”

You sputtered in laughter alongside Kuroo as Kenma walked over. 

His voice was quiet as he turned to his tall friend. “Leave her alone.”

“Aww, come on…” Kuroo messed with your hair before releasing you from his grip. “She’s just too cute!”

You rolled your eyes. Last time you had met Kuroo in person, his flirtatious advances had caught you off guard and made you nervous. Now, after texting him back and forth quite a bit over the last few weeks, you realized that’s just who he was and now took his antics in stride. If anything, his bold personality was like a breath of fresh air. There was something soothing about being around someone so much more outgoing than yourself. Karasuno was filled with mostly quiet, considerate, and modest people, after all. You smacked him on the arm. “Shut up.”

“Ow! Kenma!” Kuroo pretended to be hurt. “Your girlfriend is abusive!”

You jumped as high as your untrained legs would take you in a vain attempt to smack him on the head. You were so busy trying to hit Kuroo that you didn’t see the redness on Kenma’s cheeks nor hear the nearly silent whisper of “She’s not my girlfriend…”

The setter’s words didn’t pass unheard by his best friend, though. “Well get on that, won’t you?”

“What?” All you had heard was Kuroo’s response and stopped, confused. “I didn’t hear the first part.”

“That’s because you were too busy trying to hit me!” Kuroo placed a hand on your back and pushed you towards Kenma, making you nearly trip into him. “Next match is in 10!”

You watched Kuroo jog off, assumedly to refill his water bottle. You felt bad - The poor team really needed a manager. 

Kenma cleared his throat, bringing your attention back to him. 

“Good to see you.” He muttered. You could see the slightest hints of a smile on his face.

You jumped excitedly before opening your arms and pulling the boy into a hug. “Good to see you too!”

Kenma pushed you away lightly with a concerned frown. “I’m all sweaty…”

“Bah, whatever!” You chuckled, letting him have his space. “Do you know how many hugs I get from Nishinoya and Tanaka in a day? I don’t even need to sweat anymore during practice, they transfer theirs on to me.”

“Gross.”

“I know, right?”

You felt your heart quicken as you noticed his red cheeks. You knew it was probably just from his practice match, but part of you couldn’t help but wonder if, or even hope, that it had something to do with you.

Your hand reached up behind your head and scratched aimlessly as you chuckled, trying to distract yourself and keep calm. You could never admit it out loud, but ever since Kenma had left that little heart at the end a text message, you started to question if your feelings for him were solely platonic. He was technically your oldest friend, albeit mostly online until recently. But the two of you had so much in common it was ridiculous, not to mention he was gorgeous…

_Don’t think about that!!!_

You spit out the first thing that came to your mind to prevent gaps of silence and halt your brain from barreling down _that_ track. “Anyway, I’m just lucky I got to come this week. I really didn’t foresee myself failing algebra…”

“I did.” Kenma nodded, a smile playing at his lips. “You never were any good at even simple math.”

Your felt your heart squeeze tightly. How could he remember so many little things about you from so long ago? “When humans invented calculators, I don’t think forcing students to find answers to equations by hand should be legal.” You half-shouted with a pout. “I’m never going to need math where I’m going anyway!”

Kenma questioned you. “And where would that be?”

You shrugged your shoulders, placing your hands on your hips, standing proudly. “No idea! I don’t care as long as it doesn’t involve math!”

Kenma hid his face behind a hand as he let out a snicker. You felt your face heat up instantly. It was the most adorable action and the most adorable sound you think you had ever heard. That was the moment you realized it. 

You were in _deep._

You turned away from him with a “tsk”, scrunching your nose to look displeased, hoping by some miracle he didn’t notice your red-hot face. Suddenly a figure rammed into your side, pushing you off-balance. You scrambled, the new person helping catch your arm so you didn’t fall over. 

“Sorry! I’m so sorry… oh, who are you?”

You had to crane your neck upwards to see his face. It was the white-haired ace. He was much taller up close. He nearly cast a shadow over you as you looked up at him.

Kenma sighed. “My friend (L/N) (F/N). She’s a manager for Karasuno.” 

“Ah! I didn’t realize you had friends, Kenma.” The ace smiled widely. “Sorry about running into you. I tripped on a ball.”

Kuroo appeared out of nowhere, slapping the ace on the back. “That’s why you need to watch where you’re going, Lev!”

“OH!” The boy, whose hand was still wrapped around your wrist, moved it down to your hand and shook it. “I’m Lev Haiba! Nice to meet you, (L/N).”

You accepted his gesture of greeting. “You too! Please, call me (Y/N).”

Lev nodded as he smiled. “Okay!”

You heard a small tsk come from Kenma. As you turned to look at him, you could tell by the slight squint of his eyes that he seemed annoyed at something. His eyes narrowed further and darted with a glare at Yaku, their spirited libero, as he ran up to you and slapped you on the back. “Hey, (L/N)! You made it! How have you been?”

Yaku had been one of the first people you talked to in Nekoma back when you met them last time. It was good to see him again. “I’m good! How about you?”

Kenma was about to open his mouth when Nekomata-sensei called out over the court. “Alright. Let’s beat Ubugawa again, shall we?”

“Ossu!” The team answered in unison, with everyone heading back to their place on the court while Kenma sighed next to you.

You turned to him with a small encouraging smile. “Good luck out there! Don’t strain yourself too much,” you began. “I’ll talk to you later, ‘kay?” Kenma nodded, a sparkle returning to his eyes for just a moment before he went back to the court without another word.

You nearly skipped back to your own team. You couldn’t wait to get your hands on some more quality time with Kenma!

Your excitement must have been clearly visible, because when you returned to your bench, Yachi was staring up at you with stars in her eyes. She interrupted your thoughts with an innocent question. “You really like him, huh?”

Blinking back to reality, the sunflower’s words registered, leaving you temporarily speechless. As you struggled to find the words, she panicked, fumbling over an apology. “Oh, that-that was too direct, I’m so sorry! You don’t have to-to answer, it was, it was too personal of a question…”

You brought your hands up and waved them, shaking your head. “It’s ok! I don’t mind, really…” Your eyes left Yachi and landed once more on Kenma from across the gym, a smile still evident on your lips. “It’s not like I’m trying to hide it.”

You nearly jumped out of your skin when the quiet voice of Kiyoko spoke from behind you. “Don’t let Tanaka or Nishinoya hear you say that.” You turned just in time to see a rare smile grace her lips as she placed a hand on your shoulder. “He seems really nice.”

Yachi piped up, squeaking like a mouse. “If he’s that important to you, I can’t wait to meet him properly!”

A warm feeling filled your heart as you looked between the two women. Female bonding was extremely rare when your days were surrounded by boys. Little moments like this made you want to hold on to them forever. You couldn’t imagine what it would be like next year without Kiyoko. “Thanks guys. That means a lot to me!”

A loud smack filled the room just as Kiyoko pulled you to the side, a ball flying past your head and hitting the wall where you had been standing. You felt your ghost leave your body for a second as a loud apology was heard from whoever had served.

A shiver ran down yours and Yachi’s spines as you moved to the side, watching the games unfold. You eyed the members of the team who had nearly taken your head off… the team that was playing Nekoma. You turned to Kiyoko. “Can you tell me more about the teams we’re playing against?”

“Certainly.” Kiyoko pulls out her clipboard and starts reading off some of her notes. “Ubugawa High School… the team playing against Nekoma right now. Everyone on that team is a very strong server. I heard that they must do one hundred serves at the end of all their practices. Serving is their ultimate offense.” You cringed at the thought. No wonder that serve just now had the capability of decapitating you.

“Our fated rivals, Nekoma High School. They have had excellent receives today as usual. They are known to pick up the ball, connect, and wait for the perfect chance to counterattack. But you probably already knew that.”

“Shinzen High School. They are known for their combination attacks. They’re the ones warming up right now. They’ll be switching with Karasuno at the end of this match.”

You nodded, taking the information in stride. You glanced over at the Karasuno court, trying to get a peek at the team on the other side of the net. “And what’s Fukurodani Academy like?”

Kiyoko sighed. “Well…”

_“AKAASHI!!!”_

One of the players on the Fukurodani team yelled, causing a player with black hair and slanted eyes to scoff, moving to the side of the court and setting the ball. “Bokuto!”

“Just like Ushiwaka, they have one of the top five aces in the nation.”

Your eyes widened at the sight of a tall player with spiky black and silver hair leaping into the air, a wild grin on his face as his arm snapped forward, sending the ball shooting down into Karasuno’s court faster than a bullet. Karasuno didn’t even have time to react before the point had already been scored in Fukurodani’s favor. “Alright! I’m so awesome!” The ace cheered for himself, fist-bumping the air.

“Receiving that would rip your arms off!!!” You yelled, louder than intended. Kiyoko simply nodded, Yachi trembling beside you at the sight.

The man called Bokuto heard you and smirked, sending a wave in your direction. “Hey hey hey! One of your pretty managers noticed me!”

“We’re very thankful to be able to fight teams like this.” Takeda spoke softly with a proud smile on his face.

Your whole body trembled. However, it wasn’t from fear. It was from excitement. There were so many interesting people in this gym. So much power and so much knowledge to be gained from watching them work. You couldn’t wait to watch Karasuno play all of them. To watch your team grow. To make new friends…

The weekend flew by, and before you knew it you were back on the bus heading for Karasuno. You were so busy with helping Kiyoko train Yachi that you didn’t get much time with the boys nor did you get a chance to really meet the other members of the participating teams. You didn’t let it get to you, though, because this was just a test run after all. The real, full-week long training camp was just a week away, and you couldn’t wait to go.

Now, weary-eyed and fighting off sleep, Hinata asked you to toss balls for him the second you stepped foot off the bus in the school parking lot. Interested in the after-hour practice, you agreed. Hinata grabbed Kageyama who naturally agreed to the offer, and the three of you set off for the gym. Of course, only after you promised Daichi you would make the idiotic pair pack up after an hour.

You felt like Hinata’s nerves were transferring on to you as you tossed balls to Kageyama, watching him set to the short sunshine child and watching him miss every single time. Hinata said that he wants to learn how to hit the ball with his eyes open, so that in that split second mid-air, he can begin to evade blockers. You sighed, watching him miss the tenth ball in a row.

You didn’t know it, but you and Kageyama shared a thought. _“His attention is going to the ball, so this isn’t his maximum jump.”_

Hinata missed. And he missed again. It was the same every time.

“One more time!”

“One more time!”

“Please, one more time!”

Even after just a half hour, your shoulders slumped. Hinata hadn’t gotten a single ball. Not even close. “Hinata…” You spoke quietly. “I think that’s enough …”

“Instead of repeating this attack that we may not even be able to do… the attacks we already have, serving, blocking… you have plenty of other things to practice already!” Kageyama interrupted you, taking your hesitation to continue as his chance to interrogate the shorty.

Hinata’s fists clenched. He knew Kageyama was right. But he had to try. He _needed_ to. “But… if this fast attack doesn’t work out, I have no reason to be standing on the court!”

Kageyama visibly clenched his jaw. “That’s why I’m telling you that your will is not necessary for this fast attack!” He I’ll put up a toss that won’t get caught by all the blockers!”

Hinata’s eyes blazed like fire. “But that means I won’t be getting any better!”

“The first round of spring preliminaries is next month. It’s right around the corner. And when the time comes, which is the more useful weapon: a perfected fast attack, or a completely useless fast attack?” Kageyama stomps forward, grabbing Hinata’s shirt below his chin and pulling up on it, nearly lifting the shorter kid off his feet. “Which? Tell me!”

You take a step forward, your voice faltering as you call out to them. It broke your heart to see them like this. “Hey, knock it off, Kageyama…”

Hinata retaliated by grabbing Kageyama’s wrist, his knuckles turning white. “I want a strength that lets me fight on my own!”

You feel your blood run cold as Kageyama starts violently shaking Hinata and throwing him around. “And your selfishness is going to break the team’s balance!” In one final push, the raven-haired setter threw Hinata to the ground. You gasped, frozen in place in momentary shock. “To win, I’ll toss to anyone I need to.” Kageyama turned his back on Hinata, his face contorted in a scowl. “That hasn’t changed, even now.”

You were so focused on the confusion and hurt in Kageyama’s face as he started to pass you that you didn’t see Hinata get up off the ground until he was barreling straight into Kageyama with a yell. He clung to Kageyama for dear life. “I won’t let go until you put up another toss for me!” Hinata begged through clenched teeth. His arms were locked around Kageyama’s waist even when the latter was pulling at his hair. You flinched as Kageyama threw Hinata to the ground again, only for Hinata to get right back up and punch Kageyama in the chin before clinging to him once more. “Send me one!!”

“Quit screwing around!” Kageyama retorted, slapping Hinata over the ear as he tried to knock him over.

Without thinking you had sprung into action, grabbing the back of Kageyama’s shirt and trying to pull him away from Hinata. The two continued to argue as you tried to pry them apart with “kinder” hits to their shoulders and chests. After a minute of getting nowhere, you bit your lip in preparation as you punched Hinata hard in the kidney, making him drop like a rock, and shoved your entire body into Kageyama, pushing him back hard enough to get him to fall backwards. As he fell, however, his knee collided with your lower jaw, sending you falling to the ground as well, your head hitting the gym floor with a crack.

Your ears rung deafeningly loud as you blinked, trying to regain your vision. It had happened so fast, you were in shock to be in any pain at all, let alone comprehend what had just happened. It had been Hinata and Kageyama who were fighting, so why were you on the ground? 

A moment later the blurry, panicked faces of Kageyama and Hinata were hovering over you. You had to close your eyes to stop the world from visibly spinning. It took a couple minutes, but the pain subsided, and your ears stopped ringing. The back of your head and your jaw still ached, naturally, but you would be okay.

When you got your hearing back, all you could hear was Hinata sobbing apologies to you while Kageyama was yelling “Boke, Hinata! Boke!” In rapid fire succession. 

You chuckled at the two, happy to see them more like their usual selves. “Why are you apologizing, Shoyo? It was Kageyama that sent me flying.” Suddenly the setter’s yells turned into stuttering apologies. Hinata was hugging you on the floor, his tears leaving a wet spot on your shirt. “I’m not gunna die. Get off.”

Hinata moved back so fast you thought you were going to be dizzy again. You slowly pulled yourself into a sitting position while Kageyama and Hinata watched worriedly, your hand instinctually reaching back and touching the sore spot on your head. It was slightly warm and sticky there as well as sensitive, so when you brought your hand back around where you could see it, you weren’t surprised to see a couple of your fingertips glistening with blood. It wasn’t much, but proof that your head had collided with the floor a lot harder that any doctor would recommend.

Hinata went deathly pale as he realized what was on your fingers. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes again as he stuttered. “B-B-Blood…”

Kageyama refused to look at you, guilt written all over his face. He whispered your name in a grief-sticken way just as fast footsteps barged into the gym. A familiar voice boomed over them. “What’s going on here?”

You turned to see a horrified look on Yachi, Sugawara, and Daichi’s faces as they ran over to you. You shot them a comforting smile. “I’m okay, honest.”

Sugawara, like the proper mother he was, pursed his lips in worry as he crouched down beside you, taking a look at the back of your head. You winced as his fingers ran through your hair in search of the impact site. Daichi pulled Hinata and Kageyama off by their ears, yelling at them outside where you could still hear. Yachi sat in front of you, using a handkerchief to clean your fingers.

Sugawara sighed. “It doesn’t look like you will need stitches, but I wouldn’t be surprised if you got a concussion. We should take you to the nurse…”

You waved the silver-haired setter off, grabbing one of his hands in both of yours and grasping it firmly. “No, I promise, I’ll be okay. I’m more worried about those two idiots. Besides, it’s after hours. I don’t think the nurse would still be here anyway. Thank you, Suga.” You repositioned yourself so you could get up on your feet, Suga helping you and making sure you were steady. 

“Are you sure? I can take you to the hospital. I’d rather be safe than sorry…”

You smiled. “No, seriously. Thank you. I’ll stop by the nurse’s office in the morning if it makes you feel better.”

Sugawara wrapped you in a gentle yet tight embrace, relief laced in his tone as he sighed. “Alright. Be more careful please! We third-years are looking to you to keep the team going when we’re gone!”

You felt your heart swell. “Yeah yeah, I know.”

Sugawara and Yachi walked you out of the gym, your eyes landing on a cowering Hinata and Kageyama. Daichi stood in front of them, his arms crossed and his face horrifyingly stiff. You hoped to never see him angry. At least it wasn’t directed at you…

When you emerged from the gym, Hinata and Kageyama both turned to you, their faces pale. They spoke in unison while Daichi glared at them. “I’m sorry, (Y/N)…”

You smiled sheepishly. “I know.” You put a hand on Daichi’s shoulder, signaling to him that the pair had suffered enough. “Hinata, let’s go home.”

The short boy nodded through tears, his eyes directed at the ground as he left Kageyama’s side. Kageyama looked like he still felt terrible for what he did to you, so you reached out, grabbing his hand and giving it a quick squeeze for reassurance. You could see his shoulders tense at first before relaxing a little at your touch, and with that you followed Hinata home.

It was a quiet walk. Between a thumping headache and Hinata’s focused thinking, there wasn’t much to talk about. When you reached your house, Hinata stopped to wish you goodnight. You turned to him with a smile. “For the record… I think you can do it.”

Hinata met your eyes for the first time since you left the school grounds. His face betrayed no emotion, but his eyes blazed with determination. “You think so?”

You nodded. “Absolutely.”

With a quick nod, Hinata hopped on his bike and sped off. With a heavy sigh, you went inside, dragging your feet into your room and flopping face-first on your bed. You knew you needed to wash the blood out of your hair, but you didn’t even care. You were too tired, and too excited. Tired from the events from earlier, and excited to see your team evolve next week at the camp.

You didn’t even need to mention the excitement over getting more time with Kenma…

~

** Day 1 **

Finally!

After a week that crawled by slower than a slug, you were finally sitting in your favorite front-seat spot on the bus with Hinata sleeping on your shoulder. You glanced down at the boy, thoughts whirling in your mind. _Hinata and Kageyama haven’t really talked to each other lately. I wonder if they’ll be okay_. 

All week, Hinata and Kageyama had been avoiding each other. Plays have been messy and tensions have been high. Nishinoya and Tanaka tried giving them shit about trying to kill you (they were joking) but neither of them relaxed. They even disappeared from practice a couple afternoons with Coach Ukai. You bit at your bottom lip. You hoped something would click between them soon.

Deep in your thoughts, you didn’t even realize your eyes sliding shut. Before you knew it, Sugawara was standing over you, shaking you gently. “Wake up sleepyheads!”

A loud laugh sounded though the bus. It was Tanaka, and he was hovering over you from the seat behind you. “You drooled in Hinata’s hair!”

Your face flushed red as you sat up, realizing you had laid your head to rest on Hinata’s head after he had fallen asleep on your shoulder. You wiped at your face, realizing that you did indeed drool on Hinata. But as you stirred, Hinata woke up, leaving a line of drool on your shoulder.

You cringed, using his sweatshirt to wipe it up. “Ewww!!!”

Everyone laughed as Hinata then reached up in his hair and wiped your slobber onto you. “EWW??? YOU DROOLED IN MY HAIR!”

Everyone was laughing as you stepped off the bus into the morning light. The sibling connection between Hinata and you brought joy to everyone on the team. Even Natsu, Hinata’s little sister, started looking up to you like a sibling as well. You really were the best of friends.

It even brought joy to Nekoma, who were all standing and waiting for your arrival with wide smiles on their faces. Kuroo was doubled over in laughter and some other members were trying to hold back giggles. Your suspicions were answered correctly when Yaku called out to you with a smirk. “I wish I could sleep well enough to _drool_ on a bus!”

Another member snickered. “Shorty must be really comfy!”

You stuck out your tongue. You were determined not to let them get you all flustered. Purposefully avoiding their jabs, you watched Hinata squint his eyes, scanning the group. Before you could ask him what he was doing, his eyes widened and his hand gripped around your wrist, pulling you with him fast enough to cause whiplash.

“KENMAAA!!!”

When you got close enough, Hinata jumped, pulling both you and Kenma into a hug. Stumbling forward, your faces came dangerously close together. Close enough to feel the setter’s breath on your lips as he whispered. “Good to see you too, Shoyo…”

Your face erupted bright red as Hinata released the two of you, trying your best to play it off as if your lips hadn’t been mere centimeters from his. “H-Hey! How are you?” _Shit! I stuttered!_

“I’m good. How about you?”

You nodded, looking at your surroundings to avoid eye contact. Your heart was still racing and you didn’t know how to calm it down. “Tired, but good!” You noticed that the scenery wasn’t familiar, so you changed the subject. “Oh? This isn’t where we practiced last week.”

“We’re going to be playing in a different high school than last time.” Hinata announced with a wide smile. It was rare for him to pay attention, so he made sure to let everyone know that he had, in fact, been paying attention.

“Apparently, all the summer training camps are held in Shinzen. It’s nice and cool here.” Kenma stated while slapping at a mosquito on his arm. “Though, there are a ton of bugs.”

The parking lot was set downhill of the gyms they would be using this week. A few flights of stairs separated you from where you would be spending most of your time. Your attention was drawn to them as a tall, half-russian boy came running down the stairs. “Hinata!” He called out with enthusiasm. “Have you grown any taller?”

As the giant Nekoma player approached your small group of friends, Kenma sighed. “Lev, shut up.”

“How rude for that to be the first thing you say. Like anyone grows taller in just two weeks!” Hinata puffed his cheeks, standing defiantly against the man nearly double his height.

Lev smiled, placing a hand over his head. “I grew two millimeters.”

Your attention was once again drawn away when another bus pulled into the lot. 

Kenma followed your gaze. “Oh. That must be Fukurodani.”

You remembered a specific player from Fukurodani that you really wanted to meet up close. You didn’t get the chance last weekend, but this time you knew you would have time to meet him! You watched with the eyes of a ~~hawk~~ crow as they started walking off the bus. You nearly jumped when you spotted him. “Their ace, the loud one with the spiky white and black hair, what’s his name again?”

Kenma glanced at you from the corner of his eye, taking a moment before responding. “That’s Bokuto Kotaro.”

Your eyes widened and your lips curved up in a grin. “Can you take me to meet him?!”

Standing a few feet away, the rest of Nekoma and Karasuno were holding their own conversations. Kuroo, Kenma’s childhood friend, overheard you and excused himself when Kenma didn’t answer you.

Wrapping an arm around your shoulder like he always seemed to do, Kuroo pulled you away from Kenma, which elicited a sort of whine from the setter. “Kenma isn’t the one to ask if you want to meet people, shortcake. Kotaro is a friend of mine, I’ll introduce you.” Excited to meet new friends, you didn’t even care that Kuroo was hanging off you. Your heart swelled as the Fukurodani team walked closer and Kuroo called out to him. “Oya, Bokuto! This cute manager of Karasuno wants to meet youuu!”

“You didn’t have to say it like that…” Kenma complained.

“Hey hey hey!!” The owl-like man dropped all his belongings and ran straight over to meet you. Kuroo let go of you as Bokuto extended a hand in greeting, allowing you to shake it firmly. “Name’s Bokuto! You’re the one who complimented my spike last weekend, right?”

You nodded. “Yes, that’s me! You can call me (Y/N).”

“Nice to meet you then, (Y/N)!” Bokuto’s smile was so wide and bright, you thought it could cure cancer. “And you’re the little man who can fly! Hinata, right?”

Hinata was now standing beside you, his eyes wide as he oogled at the 185cm tall man (6’1”). “S-s-so tall…”

Kuroo smirked, standing beside his friend and elbowing him in the side. “He may not look it, but this guy is one of the five best spikers in the nation.”

You giggled as Bokuto expressively lifted his mood with just his face and his posture, beaming proudly at his title.

“He probably just misses being in the top three.” Kenma mumbled loud enough for everyone to hear.

Instantly, Bokuto’s mood changed. Was he… pouting?

“Don’t mind!” Kuroo said with a hearty laugh, slapping Bokuto on the back.

“Don’t raise me up just to let me get knocked down!” Bokuto whined, his shoulders slouching. From what little time you had spent with this man you could tell he wore his heart on his sleeve. You already wanted to protect him at all costs.

“What’s Bokuto all depressed about now?”

Another member, one you recognized from last weekend’s training camp, walked up and examined Bokuto carefully with his gorgeous eyes. You were taken aback at how downright pretty this man was. Were his eyelashes longer than yours?!

“Agghhasshhiiii!” Bokuto slurred the name. “Kenma made fun of me in front of a pretty girl!”

“Don’t mind him, Bokuto-san!” You piped up with a smile. “I still think your spikes are awesome. I bet next year your spike will be in the top _two_!”

Bokuto instantly perked up, almost like a sunflower who had been in the rain and suddenly got cast down a ray of sunlight. His eyes sparkled and the life came back to his step as he fist-pumped the air. “Yeah! You’re right!!”

“Don’t encourage him too much. It goes straight to his head.” The pretty man sighed, turning to you with a weak but kind smile. “I’m Akaashi Keiji. I’m Fukurodani’s setter.”

You shook his hand too. “Nice to meet you! I can’t wait to get to know all of you better this week!”

Coach Ukai clapped his hands, getting everyone’s attention. “Alright. The other team is already warming up. Get inside and start working!”

Everyone cheered in unison. “OSSU!”

You walked beside Kenma and Hinata, heading up the staircase behind all the other players. Looking them over and stealing another glance at Kenma, you couldn’t help but smile.

This was going to be a fun week!

~

The first matches of the day had begun, and you had taken your place next to Coach Ukai, watching Kageyama and Hinata with great interest. The game seemed to be going well at first, until suddenly Kageyama made a set that was too short for Hinata to hit. The players on both teams went quiet, and your eyes went wide. That wasn’t a mistake on Hinata’s part…

Kageyama… _missed?_

“What the heck? Kageyama, that’s not like you!” Tanaka joked, slapping the boy on the back.

“I’m sorry.” Kageyama muttered, avoiding eye contact as he got back into position for the next toss.

“Hold on,” You turned to Coach Ukai, confusion written on your face. “What did I miss?”

“Surprised?” Ukai grinned. “Kageyama’s toss is completely different now. I took him to see gramps.”

Your jaw dropped. “The original coach Ukai???”

“Yeap. The pair are making leaps and bounds towards evolution.”

“Wow!”

Your eyes sparkled. The whole team was making improvements, little by little. It might not show right now. In fact, they looked like a compete mess on the court. But you knew they were inching closer to becoming a powerful force just begging to take the top.

Your awe was broken by Coach Nekomata walking over to you and Coach Ukai. You assumed he was there for Ukai, so you moved to excuse yourself.

“Hold up. I’m actually here for you.”

Ukai and you shared a confused glance as Coach Nekomata explained. “I hear you’re a good setter. I’ve got some boys on the sidelines here who asked me if you could go help them out?”

Glancing over to the boys who were warming up on the court on the far side of the gym, Sugawara was there giving you a thumbs up. This must have been his idea. “I mean…”

Ukai patted you on the shoulder. “We are the only team here with a spare manager. Also, you’re probably the only one who can help out like this. I can take notes on my own.”

You smiled, giving a quick nod to Nekomata as you abandoned the Fukurodani vs Karasuno match, ran past the Nekoma vs Ubugawa game, and entered the empty court to throw some tosses so that all the boys “on the bench” could get some proper training.

You didn’t think your tosses were that amazing, but Sugawara always joked that you could have been another Kageyama with a few years of practice and a gender reassignment. The setters who weren’t playing in a game had been setting to the other members, and since there weren’t any other players who specialized in setting to help the setters with their spikes and such, that is where you came in handy.

You were just doing your job as an assistant setter manager person when your eyes met Kenma’s. He smiled at you, just as a ball came his way. Then, before you could warn him, the ball that had been bumped landed square on the top of his head. You sputtered in laughter as Kuroo yelled at him.

“KENMA!! PAY ATTENTION!!!”

“Sorry…”

You and half of the people you were helping practice were laughing. Kenma’s face was bright red, and you felt bad for him, but your face was equally red. You couldn’t believe you would be enough to distract him during a game…

Sugawara leans on you, getting close to your ear before whispering. “I think he likes you.”

You throw one of your arms into his chest, your face pointed at the ground to try and hide your embarrassment. “Stop teasing!”

“No, I’m serious!” Sugawara straightens up, looking down at you. You could hear the smile in his voice. “Have I ever lied to you?”

You looked up to the setter, pursing your lips. “Well, no…”

Sugawara’s shoulders relaxed a little. “I see the way you look at him.” His eyes were sparkling. “I think you two could work out.”

With that, Sugawara patted you on the head and walked off, hearing the whistle blow as Karasuno lost their first game. All the members of your team gather around the front doors, switching into their outside shoes. You simply stand there, gathering water bottles with Yachi as Daichi sighs. “The penalty for this camp is apparently something you see only at Shinzen: A refreshing uphill dash through the forest behind the school!”

Your eyes widened, a shiver running through your body as you watched the team count to three before sprinting up the steep hill towards the trees. Yachi trembles next to you. “I’m sure glad I don’t have to do that…”

You felt an itch in your legs. Sure, you were glad you weren’t forced to do that… but part of you wanted to join them anyway. 

Yachi waved her hand in front of your face, bringing you back to reality. “We should probably fill these quick before they get back…”

You nodded, thanking her for the help. Sometimes you were so invested in these boys that you forgot you actually had a job to do. You silently thanked Kiyoko for finding another manager to act as assistant for next year when you took over.

If the boys kept losing and were forced to keep running that hill, this was going to turn out to be one looong week…

~

Karasuno lost every single one of the day’s games.

Practice wrapped up with the boys staying behind to clean up while the coaches and the managers prepared supper. After a loud, enjoyable meal, you had followed Hinata around like a puppy, who had in turn followed Kenma around, which led to you being where you were now: hanging out with the Nekoma boys in their designated room for the week.

“I can’t believe we lost all our games!” Hinata exclaimed with a long sigh, rubbing at his legs.

“Don’t be so down, Hinata. I saw you getting closer to hitting that new attack today…” You stated. Any chance you got, you watched Hinata and Kageyama inch closer to landing their new quick.

“You did???” 

“Mhm!”

Hinata’s bright smile darkened. “That still doesn’t make up for the fact that I’m so short. Volleyball is a sport about height and I just don’t have any!” Hinata crossed his arms and grumbled. “Like, Lev! His height totally isn’t fair!”

So Inouka, a player you hadn’t gotten to know very well yet, was sitting with your little group on the floor and groaned at Hinata’s comment. “Ugh, Lev! He’s been blessed with too much!”

Kenma nodded. He sat next to you, your shoulders touching as you watched him play a Final Fantasy game on his PSP. “Well, he’s a powerful asset, honest and not a bad guy. Though he’s too honest at times.” Kenma looks up from his game with a grimace. “Oh, but his passes and other basics are still pretty bad. He’s worse than you, Shoyo.” Kenma then went back to his game, his eyebrows furrowed and his nose wrinkled. “His serves are crappier than yours too, Shoyo.”

You burst out laughing as Hinata sat forward, his fangs bared. “Am I your standard of crappy, Kenma?”

“But you are crappy.”

Just as Hinata stopped yelling and your laughter started to subside a voice drew your attention away from Kenma’s game.

“Kenma’s actually talking without being shy!” Yaku, the libero from Nekoma was standing in the doorway. You greeted him as he made eye contact with you. “(L/N), Hinata. It’s almost time for lights out. You should probably start making your way back to your rooms.”

You whined, sluggishly standing up from your spot. “I’m not even tired though…”

“Oy, that’s what I was gunna say!” Hinata muttered. Suddenly his eyes brightened and he jumped excitedly. “Oh oh! Are you going to sleep with us again this time, (Y/N)?”

Your shoulders dropped. “Sorry, Shoyo-kun. I promised Yachi that I would be staying with the girls so she wouldn’t be so nervous…”

“Pleeeeaaasseee!!!!! I’ll make sure you get the spot under the window!!” He pleaded.

“Thanks, but that’s not the issue…”

“Y-y-you… you actually…” Kenma started stuttering. You turned to him, noticing his face had turned bright red. His eyes were wide and staring straight at you, his game running unobserved in his hands. 

Your own face flushed fire hydrant red as the words finally hit you as well as how it may have been received from someone who didn’t understand the situation. Your eyes glanced around the room, noticing the shock and embarrassment on everyone’s faces. You instantly broke out in a nervous sweat as your hands flew out, waving wildly. “NO!! I mean, that’s not, aha, I certainly didn’t... _you know_ … no no no, I just…” You took a deep breath to ground yourself and steady your nerves as you explained, speaking so fast that you were surprised you didn’t stumble over your own tongue. “At Golden week, I was the only manager staying the night at the facility. Kiyoko went home afterwards, she invited me over, but I didn’t want to intrude, but I also I didn’t want to stay in a room all by myself so I just decided to stay in the same room as the boys. Simple as that! Nothing happened!”

Hinata stood dumbfounded. He was behind on the program. “What’s so weird about sleeping with her team…” Just as the words fell out of his mouth his face became bright red. “I’M SORRY! I DIDN’T REALIZE HOW THAT SOUNDED!”

Kuroo, who had walked in with Yaku, sighed at the smaller player. “You just realized that now?”

Hinata sweatdropped. “Now I understand why Coach didn’t want you to stay with us…”

You nervously chuckled, wiping sweat off your brow. Your eyes darted to catch a glimpse of Kenma, who had gone back to his game but was still red in the face. You really hoped he hadn’t gotten the wrong idea…

“Alright, get out of here you two!” Kuroo’s hand landed in the middle of yours and Hinata’s backs as he shoved you both towards the door. “I need both of you in top shape tomorrow.”

You and Hinata shared a confused look as you both echoed. “Both of us?”

Kuroo gave one of his iconic, hyena laughs. “Yeah! I want to catch one of your Quicks, _shorty,_ and I’d love if you could set for me during warm-ups, _princess_ …”

You huffed, grumbling at the nickname. Deciding not to egg on the captain, you looked over your shoulder and waved to Kenma. “See you in the morning!”

Hinata walked you to your room, where you were instantly greeted and pulled in by a red-faced Yachi.

“(Y/N)-senpai, save me!!! The managers want to play truth or dare and I’m scared!”

You wrapped your arms protectively around Yachi, glaring at the managers. “See, this is why I couldn’t stay with the boys! I _knew_ you would pick on my darling Yachi…”

Kiyoko flashed you a smile. “It started because of you.”

You blinked rapidly, a dial-up sound playing in your head. “Wha-how? I wasn’t even here?”

Yukie, Fukurodani’s manager, sent a smirk directly at you. “Everyone in the gym saw that _cat_ miss a toss because of you.”

Another manager giggled. “Yeah, Kozume was staring at you for so long I’m surprised they still won the game! He flubbed like, five setups!”

Your face got red and you glared at the managers. “S-So he was having an off day, I had nothing to do…”

“Don’t kid yourself, (Y/N), he _likes you_!”

You opened your mouth to object, but no words came out. All you could think about was what happened back in the Nekoma room and your face went bright red. Kiyoko was the first to speak again. “You don’t usually get this flustered. Did something happen?”

With Yachi looking up at you with big doe eyes, you exhaled dramatically and moved to sit down amongst the other managers. You explained what had just happened and they all started laughing at you. You gripped at your pant legs as you avoided eye contact. “Things like that usually don’t get to me either. If it had been Fukurodani I would have been fine but, I guess… I guess I didn’t want Kenma to think I was, like… dating anyone…” You admitted the last bit in a quiet voice, almost too quiet to hear.

Yachi heard you though as she jumped up, eyes wide. “So you DO like him?!”

You jumped back, startled by her enthusiasm. “I, eh…”

“I knew it!”

“You should ask him out.”

_“ABSOLUTELY NOT!”_

And with a mighty sigh, your first night at camp became all about you, how you had known Kenma for close to ten years, how you had finally met in person, and all about how they were going to get you and Kenma together. No matter how much you pleaded with them to stay out of it, you could see the mischievous sparkles in their eyes. Even Kiyoko seemed in on the idea. You thought the plan would end in disaster.

If only you knew just how _little_ prodding they would have to do to make it happen.

~

** Day 2 **

“Hey, Tsukishima! Eat up! Or you’re not gunna last!” Nishinoya stomped over with a tray of breakfast heaping with food, setting it down next to the salty middle blocker.

Tsukishima looked at the libero’s plate and back at him. “Nishinoya, at least your stomach’s big.”

You snicker at the comment as Nishinoya raises his voice. “What’d you say?!”

You weren’t much of a morning person, but when you were surrounded by a rowdy bunch such as these, you perked up quickly. You watched Nshinoya mess with Tsukishima’s glasses and give him a hard time for calling him short.

“Hey, Daichi’s gonna get mad.” Sugawara interrupted from a few seats down, where Asahi and Ennoshita were watching with worried faces. Unfortunately, the warning came a moment too late, as Daichi appeared out of nowhere and whacked the two of them on the head.

The teams ate at their respective tables, yelling over each other to speak to other members on other teams. You were one of the first to finish due to having an issue keeping down large breakfasts, so you helped clean up. As the boys started funneling through the doors, you noticed a certain pudding-haired friend of yours had finished eating, yet was hanging back from the rest of his group.

You were just about to go in the kitchen to help wash the rest of the dishes when Kenma approached you, his eyes glancing to the side and his hair covering most of his downcast face. “Um, (Y/N)…”

Suddenly Kuroo walked up behind his teammate, wrapping an arm around his neck and messing with his hair. “Don’t hold her up too long, Casanova. I need her to set for me before warm-ups are over!”

Kenma grumbled, crouching to get away from Kuroo’s grip. “Go away…”

“He’s been itching all morning to get some alone time with you…” Kuroo shoots you a smirk. “See you soon kitten!”

You gasped, taken aback at the new nickname. “K-Kitten?!”

Kenma cleared his throat, drawing your attention back to him. “I was um, I was wondering… I saw you setting yesterday. Your form is really good.”

You found yourself having a hard time looking him in the eye. You suddenly became shy about your abilities, shifting your weight from one leg to the other as you smiled. “Oh, thank you!”

An awkward silence filled the air between you for what seemed like an eternity before Kenma spoke again. “Could… could you set for me, too?”

You had to look at Kenma to be sure he had even spoken, because his words were too quiet to hear. “Sorry, what?”

You felt your heart begin to race as his face began to deepen in color as he repeated himself. “Could you set for me, too, (Y/N)?” Kenma’s lips curved downwards in a small pout. It was a look you often saw on Hinata’s face, albeit not as pronounced. If you weren’t blind with self-doubt about his feelings towards you, you would have sworn it looked like jealousy. “Kuroo is always yelling at me to practice spiking more. I’d like to, with you. I guess. If that’s okay with you.”

It was something you never thought would happen. The boy that introduced you to volleyball all those years ago, who was certainly a million times better at setting than you, wanted YOU to set for HIM. He could have asked Kageyama, or Sugawara, or Akaashi… someone who actually knew what they were doing. But he asked for you.

Your stomach filled with butterflies as your lips turned up in a wide smile. You couldn’t think of a single thing more to say other than “Of course!”

This seemed to be enough of a response, for Kenma’s slightly annoyed/anxious face from before turned into one of slight joy; minimal smile included. Your heart palpitated again when he looked at you with that smile.

Suddenly the doors to the kitchen opened and Yukie from Fukurodani poked her head out. “We got everything covered in here! You go train with the boys, you weirdo.” She shot you a wink which made your internal body heat rise. You hoped you weren’t permanently blushing…

When you turned back to Kenma he nodded. “Let’s go piss off Kuroo.”

With a high-five the two of you walked side-by-side to the gym, where you proceeded to set for Kenma first, which did indeed piss off Kuroo (after all, he _had_ asked you first). Before you knew it, all the boys from the other teams were asking for a single ball thrown by you, to show you how high they could jump. After a competition broke out over who could jump higher, all to impress you, the coaches broke it up and practice matches began as normal.

In the end, it was another morning full of failures for the boys.

After their third sprint up the hill, and their last sprint before lunch, you decided you had enough of just standing around filling water bottles.

Daichi looked at you with concern as you slipped into your outdoor shoes and lined up next to the other members of Karasuno as they stared up at the hill they had quickly begun to hate. “Uh, (Y/N)? What are you doing?”

“I’m running with you guys, what’s it look like I’m doing…” You did a few extra stretches quick while the whole team was looking at you like you were nuts.

“Are-are you sure?” Yamaguchi squeaked. “It’s a brutal hill…”

“I know.” You shot him a bright smile. “Seeing you guys run it all day yesterday and all morning again today made me feel inadequate.” You paused, looked up at the hill with a mix of fear and determination. “You guys work tirelessly while I just fetch towels and water bottles. I want to support you more directly, and if that means dying on a hill at least once, I’d do it gladly!”

When you looked back at the team you jumped in surprise to see tears in most of their eyes. “(Y/N)-chan!” Nishinoya cried. “You’re so cool!”

Daichi sighed. “Alright. Everyone ready… 3… 2… 1…”

You might have been imagining it, but you felt like the team ran the hill faster than yesterday because of you. Although the picked-up-pace felt like hell for your untrained legs and lungs, it was rejuvenating to get your blood pumping. The run downhill was terrifyingly fun – one wrong step and you could have gone tumbling down like a bowling ball. You managed to finish not too far behind Tsukishima, who only pushed himself because he refused to place behind a lady.

Hinata jumped, cheering as you crossed the unofficial finish line for the sprint. “YOU DID IT!!”

Your breathing was sharp and fast as you tried your best to catch your breath. You fist pumped the air in victory. “Did… it!!” And with those words and in comedic fashion, you faceplanted onto the ground where you laid there, laughing hysterically in a mix of pain and fulfillment while the boys screamed in unison and Yachi went to fetch some water.

Before the girl could come back, everyone’s heads turned to see the other managers approaching with plates. You overheard one of them cheerily state “The parents from Shinzen High gave us some watermelons!”

In a flash, you had jumped up and was screeching with joy. The team just stood there, baffled as you grabbed a plate to help pass them around. “Well don’t just stand there, go get the other teams!”

“OSSU!”

Everyone came out and took a seat somewhere on the hill or against the building, watermelon slices in hand. Once you were done handing out slices you took a couple of your own and found Kenma, who was sitting on the steps to the gym and playing a game on his phone.

He glanced up at you briefly when you sat down before going back to his game. “You look hot.”

You tensed, your eyes whipping over to him as he quickly corrected himself. “Your face is all red. You deserve a break too, you know.”

“OH!” You let out a breath you didn’t realize you had been holding. For a second, you thought he was complimenting your appearance and it really caught you off guard. “No, I’m fine!” You laughed. “I just finished running the hill sprint with my team is all.” 

Kenma exited out of his game and turned towards you slightly, his eyes wide. “You did?”

You happily took a bite of your watermelon, your face glowing with pride. “Yeah! I kept up with most of them too!”

Tanaka was nearby. Overhearing your sharing, he snickered. “She would have beat Tsukishima too if he hadn’t tried extra hard purposefully to beat her.”

Yamaguchi laughed, earning a glare from his tall blonde friend. “Sorry, Tsukki…”

After eating a slice of watermelon, you had acquired a pocket of seeds in your cheek. You started spitting them absentmindedly when Bokuto saw you and raced over, firing a few of his own at you. Kenma groaned in disgust as one hit him. You shrieked, your eyes turning into slits and your mouth turning upwards in an evil grin as you laughed evilly. “OH, ITS _ON_!”

Kenma tried to stop you, but before he could say anything you were chasing Bokuto around, firing seeds at each other in rapid fire. Lev and Hinata joined in quickly, and before long the hill was teeming with screaming teenagers spitting watermelon seeds at each other. The coaches had to come in and stop the fun.

“That’s enough! Get cleaned up, time for more practice!”

“Awwww!!”

~

“I’ll have you know, _Bokuto…_ ” You started with a spicy tone of voice. “That I found watermelon seeds in my hair when I was taking a bath!”

Bokuto laughed as he walked beside you. “So did I! Kuroo helped me find them all. You were a pretty good shot!”

“Why, thank you!”

“Eww…” Kenma, who was also walking next to you, grimaced with disgust.

The three of you had crossed paths at the vending machines and started talking. Well, more like Kenma clung to your side and Bokuto started talking. You got on this topic because Bokuto joked that you looked like a wet dog when you got out of the bath, and it reminded you of your discovery while you were getting clean.

“Seriously though Bokuto...” You looked over the Fukurodani ace again. He had just gotten out of the bath himself, and therefore still had wet hair. It was the first time you had seen him with it down, and you were taken aback. “Why do you put so much work into your hair everyday? You could really just leave it down. It’s so handsome!”

You didn’t notice Kenma tense beside you at your comment as Bokuto’s face flushed red, his arm flying up to his forehead and slicking his hair back a little. “Really??? But I hate having hair in my face when I play, and slicking it back makes me look like some kind of mobster, or something…” Bokuto played with his hair a bit, humming to himself in thought. “Maybe I could try it down again…”

“Don’t change because of me!” You chuckled. “I was just curious is all.”

Bokuto laughed. “Well, whatever you’re doing, keep it up!”

You playfully punched Bokuto in the arm, making his laugh even more. He finished the drink in his hand and grabbed another from the nearby vending machines to last him the night. “Alright well, I’d better get back to my team!”

You nodded as Bokuto patted you on the head before walking off into the dark hallway. “See you tomorrow!” You called out after him.

“Seeya, (Y/N)!”

With a smile on your face and a heavy sigh, you reached into your pocket to grab some change for a drink. Kenma stopped you, handing you something. Looking at it in the dim light of the vending machines, it was one of the drinks you were just about to buy. “Oh! Thank you, Kenma! Let me get yours…”

“Already got it.” His lips curved up in a slight smile. You felt yourself blushing under his gaze, holding the can in your hands.

“Well let me get you one tomorrow?” You suggested, earning the smallest of chuckles from him.

“It’s my treat.”

Silence filled the space between you as you awkwardly made and broke eye contact. You shuffled your foot on the floor, thinking of something, anything to say. “Want to sit for a bit? You can play your game if you want. I’m just not quite ready to go back to my room yet. Those girls are crazy…”

You weren’t lying, not really. Sure, you could have followed Kenma to his room and chatted with Nekoma for a bit. Or you could have hung out with your boys at Karasuno – you were sure that Tanaka and Nishinoya would have enjoyed that. But your goal since you came to this camp had been to spend more time with Kenma, to get to know him better as a person, and that was hard to do when he hardly ever talked with other people around. Therefore, when he nodded and led the way to a nearby bench in the semi-illuminated hallway, you were more than thrilled.

“So, find any new games besides that one?” You asked as Kenma did pull out his phone and start playing.

He shook his head. “Not really. I don’t have much time for anything other than mobile lately.”

“Yeah, I feel that pain.” You slouched on the bench, pulling out your phone to scroll on pinterest. “I’ve been enjoying Resident Evil 6… and all the Just Dance games on my Wii, but don’t tell anyone that…” You suddenly remembered a game and sat up, patting him on the shoulder excitedly to get his attention. “OH OH!! You have a Wii, right?” He nods. “Oh, my, gosh, okay, so there’s this game called ‘The Last Story’… it’s actually part of a series of three games. They aren’t related to each other except for the same developers or something, I can’t remember exactly, but the others are called ‘Pandora’s Tower’ and ‘Xenoblade’…”

“I’ve heard of Xenoblade.”

“OKAY!” You jumped in your seat. “So Xenoblade is good, right? Lots of quests, lots of optional stuff, character customization, party customization, but there’s a lot of grinding to level up. In Pandora’s Tower, it’s more straightforward, beginning to end kind of story, but there’s three endings! The story is soooo good too, it had me crying when I finished it. I got the best ending on the first try, naturally.” You started to ramble, but Kenma didn’t stop you. Instead, he had clicked his phone off and had his full attention on you. Not that you noticed, because you were full on gushing about this game. “So in ‘The Last Story’, there’s a TON of character customization. You can change outfits and outfit parts and colors on each of the characters in the main group, and there’s hidden stuff EVERYWHERE! Like, it’s my dream game. I’ve played it through at least five times and I’ve found something new every SINGLE time!” You dramatically waved your arms in the air as you spoke. “And the characters, oh my god the characters! I love each and every one of them, even some of the NPCs! And there’s stupid counters too, like how many times you run into people and signs and slip on lemons, and there’s ‘rare’ amazing weapons like a ladle and wine bottle that you have to earn through secret quests… Kenma… you HAVE to play it!!!”

If your eyes weren’t already wide, they widened further as your heart skipped a beat at the sound you heard coming from Kenma. It was the first true laugh you had heard from him, and it was adorable. “That sounds amazing! How have I never heard of this?” His lips were in a wide smile, too, showing his teeth. Your cheeks surely dusted pink as your heart continued to palpitate. How did he manage to be so CUTE??? “Noodles, I haven’t seen you this excited over a game since Red Dead.”

“Yeah, yeah well…” You grew shy at the sudden use of your nickname. “I don’t know if any story will ever beat that of John Marston, but The Last Story just, it hits my heart just right.” _(Wait until she plays Red Dead Redemption 2 someday…)_

Kenma pulled out his phone quick, searching the internet for the game. “A hundred bucks _used_ and it’s sold out?!” He spoke in a sharp breath.

You whined. “Oh, yeah. I got super lucky. It’s really hard to come by..." You sighed. “There weren’t many made, and it was super popular among the few people who knew it existed. I still can’t believe it was my mom who found it for me. Brand new, too.”

Kenma’s jaw hung open. “What? How?”

“She went into Gamestop asking about a game for my birthday. They suggested it, she trusted them, and took a $75 gamble on it. Best birthday present, _ever._ ”

“Wow,” Kenma breathed. “I’ve never met her, but I think I love your mom already. Can we switch parents?”

“Nope!” You laughed, shaking your head. “But, you could come and play it at my house and meet her! We would be more than happy to have you. I’m sure I could even get her to make apple pie!”

Kenma looked down distractedly at his phone, flipping it around in his hand. He still had a smile on his face. “Yeah. We will have to set that up.”

If you had to get up and walk away right now, you were confident that you would be unable to. You were so anxious… had you just casually invited Kenma over and he accepted?! You must be dreaming.

“Um…” Your inner monologue of screaming was interrupted as Kenma glanced at you again, this time with a glint of seriousness in his eyes. You swallowed hard as you nodded, gesturing for him to continue. 

What if this was it?

What if he _confessed?_

What if he wasn’t? What if he was going to say he only saw you _as a friend?_

He was hesitating, and he looked serious. What was he going to say? You held your breath as he opened his mouth.

“I guess I’d better get back. It’s kind of late.”

You chuckled softly, pushing a strand of fallen hair back behind your ear. You felt dumb for assuming anything more. “Yeah, I guess it is.”

The two of you stood from the bench and took deep breaths. Even knowing you were going to see each other again in the morning, goodbyes were still hard, because you knew that closeness was temporary. At the end of the week, you would be hours away again. “This was nice.” He started. “See you at breakfast?” Kenma questioned with a hopeful look.

“Yeah, it was!” You smiled. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Goodnight, Kenma.”

“Goodnight.”

As you two parted ways, you couldn’t help but celebrate on the inside. There was never any truly awkward silences with Kenma. When you could default to a common interest, you could never go wrong. You were proud of your progress in what you believed was just a friendship.

Little did you know that the conversation you just had was the motivation Kenma needed to take the next step.

~

** Day 3 **

“Where are you going?”

You looked over your shoulder, pausing from slipping on your outdoor shoes to glance at the person who had spoken to you. To your happiness, it was your favorite setter. Kenma had a volleyball between his hands and was looking down at you with curious eyes.

“Our match ended a little early, so I’m going to go check out a video game store in town.” You turned back to putting on your shoes as you talked. “I saw it while we were out on a run on yesterday. It’s about a ten-minute walk, so I’ll be back in time for lunch. Coach said I could go.”

“Oh. Okay.”

Finishing tying your shoes, you turned to see Kenma running back to his team. You chuckled through your nose, waving to your team as you parted ways – the boys running up the hill, and you walking down towards the parking lot.

You hadn’t gotten very far, maybe three minutes out when you heard panting and approaching footsteps behind you. Whipping around with eyes wide, you caught sight of Kenma running as fast as he could to catch up with you. A smile instantly spread across your face. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Kenma had to stop and take a few breaths once he got close enough before replying. “Going to the video game store.”

You sputtered with laughter. “Coach Nekomata actually let you go?”

Kenma’s eyes avoided yours, and instantly you knew what went down. “Not exactly.”

With a mighty sigh, you asked “You told Coach to switch you out, he said no, so then you snuck away, didn’t you?”

“…Maybe.”

You rolled your eyes as you waved a hand, gesturing him to follow. “Come on then.”

After a quick walk, you arrived at your destination with unexpected friend in tow. The game store was amazing! In your smaller town, there were stores that sold video games, sure, but not really a true ‘game’ store with gaming employees. Every time you went on a trip away from home, you kept your eyes peeled for them. They offered the best opportunities for grabbing unknown gem titles and used copies of newer titles that were out of your budget. They tended to keep some figurines and plushes in stock, too, which you secretly collected like your life depended on it. The number of Naruto figurines in your bedroom alone was… fascinating, to say the least.

Even though you had to keep the visit quick, you both still managed to leave the store with a bag of goodies.

“I cannot believe they had a copy of _The Last Story_!!” You gushed, hand to your forehead in amazement as you walked. “We were just talking about it yesterday! What are the chances?”

“I’m excited. I can’t wait to play it.” Kenma flipped the video game’s case around in his hands, reading the back and admiring the artwork. “I wonder if coach would let me go home early…”

“Absolutely not!” You laughed. “But I feel the same.” You held up your bag proudly. “I’ve been looking everywhere for this exact set of Hikaru and Kaoru for YEARS! They can finally join my family of Haruhi and Tamaki on my bookshelf…”

Kenma blew air through his nose. “I still can’t believe you never told me that you collect figures.” He looked at you with squinted eyes. “How much did that cost, anyway?”

You grimaced. “Don’t ask me that. It hurts to think about it.”

You caught the sight of Kenma chuckling to himself, a smile slowly spreading across his face the longer he talked to you. It wasn’t the first time you noticed it this week but, you started to take note of Kenma’s elusive smile becoming less… elusive… as time went on. 

You couldn’t help but believe that it was because of you.

A sudden pang of sadness washed over you when you saw Kenma looking at the game some more. “I gotta be honest though, I was looking forward to you coming over to play that. Now you won’t have to, since you own it.” You brushed off your comment with a chuckle, cursing to yourself internally as you didn’t really mean to say that out loud. You glanced to the side, hiding your burning cheeks from his vision.

You heard Kenma shrug his shoulders. “I still need to play _Pandora’s Tower_ and _Xenoblade_ though, don’t I?”

Your heart skipped a beat, and when you turned to catch a glance at Kenma, he was already looking at you with the softest smile you had ever seen. You blinked a few times before finally nodding. “Yeah… yeah!”

You were up in your head when Kenma added, “Besides, you also promised pie.”

“I did not!”

“Did too.”

“I said I _might_ be able to convince mom to make one.”

“That’s a promise.”

“I don’t think you understand the definition of a promise…”

The two of you began bickering until a loud voice drowned out your conversation, piercing your ears and making you both jump nearly out of your skin with a loud shriek. “(L/NNNNNN)!!!”

You had been so engrossed in talking with Kenma that you didn’t even realize you had walked all the way back to the gym just as the other volleyball players were cleaning up for lunch. You had just stepped into the gym with your bag in hand, Kenma right beside you when Coach Ukai spotted the two of you. 

“WHY DID YOU LET HIM GO WITH YOU?” Ukai ran over, glaring down at you with a million daggers. His voice echoed off the walls and you cowered backwards against his words. “NOW NEKOMATA IS ANGRY AT ME BECAUSE ONE OF MY MANAGERS STOLE HIS SETTER!”

“It’s not like we were going to lose the game in five minutes…” Kenma started, making Ukai turn to him with a wicked grin and fiery eyes.

“But you DID. _LOSE_.” Yours and Kenma’s eyes went wide with shock as Ukai took a deep breath and straightened his posture. “He wanted me to relay to you, Kozume, that you are to run the penalty twice for your actions.”

You snickered as Kenma gapsed, showing true terror in his wide eyes. “T-twice?”

“Don’t laugh at him, (L/N). You’re going with him.” Ukai clarified.

“WHAT?” You yelled. “Why me? I got permission to go…”

“But he didn’t, and you should have sent him back.”

You huffed. “He didn’t tell me he didn’t get permission!” Which, although true, was a partial lie. You knew all too well that he had snuck off.

“He was in the middle of a game, what did you think?” Ukai shook his head. “I’ll never understand you... Just get your sprints done and get to lunch, okay?”

You and Kenma sighed in unison. “Okay…”

Without even taking off your outdoor shoes the two of you went straight around back, where Karasuno was finishing another sprint themselves. Daichi was standing with some of the other early finishers like Hinata and Kageyama and saw you coming. “Hey, what are you two doing back here?”

“We got in trouble…” You mumbled, hanging your head. “Now we have to do the penalty twice.”

“I told you going to the store was a bad idea.”

**_“Nobody asked you, Tsukishima!”_ **

~

** Day 4 **

It had been another long day of practice matches. Nekoma and Karasuno finally got a bunch of matchups together, and a couple games had actually come pretty close to a win for Karasuno thanks to Kageyama and Hinata’s new quick finally taking shape. Still, Karasuno had been racking up a new record for total losses throughout the camp week, nonetheless. 

Now, you were messing around with Bokuto; bumping stray balls between each other while cleaning up. You had already eaten supper but came back to the gym for some fun and ran into your new decidedly best friend, the owl captain of Fukurodani. He was a complete eccentric disaster on the outside, much like how you felt on the inside most days. It was a perfect match, and the two of you meshed wonderfully. He was like a taller, more insane version of Hinata and you were all for it.

Akaashi was sighing audibly as he tried to actually clean up, while you two were playing around. “I’d like to go take a bath at some point today, if that’s alright with you…” His passive-aggressive comments went unheard as you tried to spike a ball into the pit, resulting in you barely hitting the ball with your fingertips and almost falling on your face when you came back down.

“Hey hey hey!! You almost got that one!” Bokuto cheered, his hands in the air excitedly.

“Jumping is a lot harder than it looks…” You pouted. “I can’t seem to get the takeoff right!”

“Hinata makes it look easy, doesn’t he?” Bokuto laughed.

“Why are you doing this anyway?” Akaashi asked genuinely.

You walked over to the ball that you missed, picking it up. You stared at it for minute, shrugging your shoulders as you tried to gather your words. “Honestly?” A smile appeared on your face. “Playing volleyball, even if I’m just setting for the boys during warmups… it, it makes me feel, ah, how do I put it…”

“It brings you closer to them?” Your eyes met Akaashi’s as he flashed you a teeny smile. You nodded as your heart swelled with pride.

“Yeah! Exactly!” You tossed the volleyball into the pit like it was a basketball. “The boys at Karasuno were the first friends I ever had. Aside from Kenma, anyway. But he was just an online friend until recently, so I felt that it didn’t really count, you know?” You felt a little guilty admitting it, but in the presence of Bokuto, you felt yourself opening up. “You can message somebody a hundred times a day, but once the computer is off, or the gaming console is off, that’s it. There’s no way to connect further than that power button. It’s a really weird feeling… getting to know someone without really _knowing_ someone.”

Bokuto held his chin in his hand, deep in thought. He hummed, and you could practically hear the gears turning in his little bird brain. “Well, what about now?”

You blinked up at him. “What do you mean?”

“Kozume! What about now?” Bokuto flashed you one of his classic toothy grins. “You know him for real, so does that change how you feel about him?”

You tilted your head as you pondered the question. You already knew the answer, from the way your heart started racing. “Well…”

Akaashi glared at Bokuto, making him flinch. “Don’t ask such intrusive questions.”

You giggled at the duo. In truth, you had always hoped to find someone like Applepie95. You had always hoped that someday you would meet Apple in person, but life rarely works out that way. He had been your standard of friend for a long time. So when you finally got to meet him…

Your imagination, and your heart, ran wild.

To say that you were blindsided by your emotions towards the Nekoma setter would be an understatement. You may as well have been hit by a truck. You thought everything would be just as it had always been, except now it was in person. From online friend to in-person friend. No big deal, right?

What you had failed to realize from your youth, though, was that you were always, in some way or another… already in love with him.

“Ah, speak of the devil!” Bokuto drew you out of your thoughts and moved your gaze to the gym doors with a point of his finger. There, hiding in the doorway, was a face that made your face instantly brighten.

“I’m here for (Y/N)…” Kenma spoke in such a low voice that you could barely hear him from halfway across the gym. You suddenly remembered that he had asked you earlier if he could walk you back from practice, but you had been stolen away from Bokuto since then and totally lost track of time. You were surprised he even found you.

Bokuto quickly threw an arm around you, messing with your hair before pushing you towards him. “Thanks for the practice! Now go get ‘em, (L/N)!”

You stumbled, glancing back with a raised eyebrow. “Uh, thanks? I guess?”

You shook your head in confusion, waving goodbye to the Fukurodani duo and making your way over to the door where you traded shoes and started walking back to the lodging with Kenma.

The moon had not yet risen, so the stars were piercing and glittering against the blue-black blanket of space without any light pollution. It was a sight you would never get used to, for it was too full of beauty. It was also nostalgic; in a way you couldn’t comprehend. It made you wonder how someone like Kenma could stand to live in a city, where there weren’t any lights in the sky at all.

You were engrossed in the sight when Kenma’s voice broke the silence. “Something’s been on my mind.” 

You stopped walking, peeling your eyes away from the stars to turn to Kenma. To your surprise, he was not beside you. Turning around, you saw him. He had stopped walking a few steps back and was facing away from you slightly, also looking up at the stars. “Do you mind if I monologue for a bit?”

A grin crept up on your face. The words he had chosen were so nerdy. You felt your heart rate quicken once again at his adorableness. You had no idea what he was going to say, not to mention that you knew this was probably one of the very rare times he has ever offered to speak freely, so you replied with the wittiest, nerd thing you could think of. “I press X to continue.”

You could tell Kenma wasn’t expecting that response, because his stoic, unchanging expression faltered, and you could see him trying to hold back a smile. After a moment, he regained his composure. “Nekomata-sensei always tells us this stupid quote. I never liked it.” He paused to take a breath, as if trying to remember the words correctly. “Evolution will not come to those that don’t seek change. If that is what you wish for, be greedy, and declare that you are the one at the summit.”

Kenma turned to you, his eyes reflecting the stars as he gazed determinedly at you. In that moment, you swore your heart stopped.

You could see the unspoken feelings in his eyes. 

Quiet and unmoving, you let him speak.

“(Y/N)…” He began, his breaths jagged as he gathered courage. “Before Kuroo, I knew you. We were just online friends, but I had a connection with you that I had never felt before and still seek in every person that’s not you. You are my mountain. You always have been. You were the ledge I needed. Every time I would reach out in the dark, you were there like a magic foothold to help me keep climbing. Not just with small, dumb life stuff or video games…”

“I never told you this… but when I wanted to quit volleyball, you convinced me to keep playing when you said you would come to one of my games if we made it to nationals. I acted like it wasn’t a big deal, but I worked extra hard because I hoped… I knew you would actually come. I wanted to see you so bad, I was willing to work my _ass_ off for that _one_ chance...”

Kenma’s face looked so crestfallen. Your soul ached at the sight.

“We were one game away last year when we lost. I couldn’t bring myself to tell you, because I was worried you would see me as a failure. I poured myself into volleyball for you. I staked everything on volleyball. _For you_ … and I still wasn’t good enough. I didn’t deserve to have you come to one of my games… so I fell out of touch from guilt… because I wasted one of my chances.”

You breathed his name on your lips, no sound coming out. Your mind was having a hard time keeping up with the flood of information, but your eyes never left his, even as your vision became watery and you felt warm liquid running down your cheeks.

“But then you messaged me! And the most incredible series of events happened!” Kenma’s voice was no longer quiet and strong. It was wavering and rising like a tide. “You had become a volleyball manager for Karasuno. Our fated rivals! It was beginning to feel like destiny was bringing us back together. What I’m trying to say is…” Kenma paused to take a breath. He had been speaking from the bottom of his heart for so long that he had forgotten to breathe, just as you had. “…I’m sorry. I’m sorry for pushing you away. I’m sorry I left you alone when I knew you needed me just as much as I needed you. These last few days, and the last few weeks since we reconnected have meant the world to me. In new ways, you’ve made me feel like nobody else has ever made me feel. You make me happier than anyone else. You.. my cheeks actually _hurt_ because of you.” Kenma chuckled before his eyes instantly flooded with tears that spilled over as doubt crept behind his eyes and his voice went soft once more. “So please… let me be greedy. I know it hasn’t been very long but… I’d… like… to… evolve… our relationship...”

Through blurry tears you lunged forward, closing the gap between you and Kenma and wrapping him in your arms. Your face buried in the crook of his neck as you let out more tears onto his shirt. It only took a moment for him to reciprocate the gesture, gripping on to you so tightly you thought you might burst. You laughed to yourself, making Kenma tense until you spoke what had crossed your mind. 

“I’m your eevee... I’ll be whatever you want me to be!”

You felt him release a big sigh of relief before crumbling into a laughing fit along with you. “God, we’re such dorks.” He muttered you felt one of his strong hands run through your hair. “So… can I call you my girlfriend?”

You nodded your head, afraid to let go and look at him, knowing that your eyes would be puffy and your face would be bright red. He squeezed you tight one last time before you parted, both of you too shy to look each other in the eyes. You had smiles on your faces, and in a new, calm silence, walked back to the lodging with pinky-fingers entwined.

You couldn’t wait to tell Yachi and the others when you got back to your room…

~

** Day 5 **

If you had been old enough to get drunk on champagne, you certainly would have last night from the amount of celebratory partying that went on in the manager’s room last night.

After you and Kenma parted ways for the night with a quiet “goodnight”, the girls could tell from your face instantly what had happened. Of course, they refused to tell you what they did to help make it happen, but you wouldn’t be surprised if they just played along to Kenma’s gamer instincts and dropped a bunch of hints.

Nevertheless, you were grateful.

You didn’t know what to expect when you crawled out of bed that day. But being cornered by Kuroo on the way to the bathroom while the boys were supposed to be at breakfast was the last thing on your mind…

He glanced around like he was doing a drug deal, peeking over his shoulder and listening for footsteps over the voices that echoed down the hallway. Hands in his pockets as he bent over slightly to get on your level. A smirk playing at his lips as he whispered. 

“Oya, spill the beans. Kenma refused to speak to me last night so I know he did it…”

You folded your arms in front of you and raised an eyebrow. Your voice came out huskier than usual since you had just woken up, but it added to the dramatics as you questioned. “Did what?”

You had to hold back instant laughter as panic flashed across Kuroo’s face. “I, uh… ah shit! He didn’t?! I mean…”

Your face erupted bright red as your serious face fell off, replaced by a grin as you smacked him on the shoulder. “I’m just kidding! Yeah, he confessed.” You, too, began glancing around nervously as you played with your hands. “He talked for like, five minutes and called it a monologue…”

Kuroo slapped a hand over his mouth as he doubled over, trying to contain his laughter. You had never expressly stated to Kuroo that you liked Kenma more than a friend, but since we was acting as the friendship bridge between the two of you, he was probably the first to know, even before _you_ did.

“It was adorable!” You snickered, lightly jumping up and down in excitement. “You should have seen him, Ku-chan. I’d never heard him talk so much.”

Kuroo laughed through his nose, making a weird snickering noise as he went. “What words did he use, exactly? If you don’t mind…”

You hid your face as you squealed. “Oh, god, Kuroo… he… it was so… I can’t even say it…”

Kuroo leaned closer, pushing you into a corner against the wall until you were giggling like the schoolgirl that you were. “Tellllll……”

“He… He…” You glanced around again, making sure nobody was nearby. Leaning in, you cupped your hand around his ear and whispered. “He said he wanted to evolve our relationship…” Kuroo started to laugh, but you smacked him. “No no wait!! So then… so I said I’d be his eevee…”

“YOU DID NOT!” Kuroo burst out laughing, finally falling to the floor in a fit.

“I DID!” Tears pricked at the corner of both your eyes as you laughed together in excitement and embarrassment. Approaching footsteps helped you regain your composure as Kuroo got back up on his feet.

Lo and behold, the man you had been gossiping about turned around the corner. His hair was a disaster, and he was rubbing his eyes. He froze in his tracks as he saw you, his face instantly flushing a dark shade of red. You felt your stomach do a flip.

Kuroo slapped you on the back, bringing you back to reality and making you stumble. “Congratulations!” He spoke loud enough for the two of you to hear before waving the two of you goodbye and making his way to the cafeteria.

You swallowed hard as Kenma came closer, avoiding direct eye contact as he shyly greeted you good morning in a quiet, gravelly voice that made your knees weak.

You couldn’t help but smile as you returned the greeting. “Did you get some sleep, Kuroo-hair?” You joked, making Kenma reach up and brush through his hair with his fingers.

“Not really.” He shrugged in a quiet voice. “I missed you too much.”

“O-Oh!” You were taken aback as he let out a yawn, which made you yawn in turn.

“You don’t look like you got much sleep either.” He pointed out casually.

“Yeah, I guess not.” You chuckled lightly. “I missed you, too.”

Kenma looked down at his feet, his hands playing at his pockets. “Sit with me at breakfast?”

How stupid. You felt yourself getting excited for breakfast just because it meant you could sit with your brand-new boyfriend. 

You nodded happily. “Sure! I’ll meet you there.”

The members of Nekoma seemed a little curious as to why Kenma decided to go sit with you instead of with his team that morning, but when Hinata and Nishinoya began arguing over which one of them would get the empty seat next to you, suddenly they were just glad that you hadn’t chosen to sit at their table.

You were eating happily, laughing at Hinata’s antics when Kenma’s knee touched yours. Your heart began racing a million miles an hour as you turned to look at him, seeing a small smile playing on his lips as he continued to eat. At that same moment, you glanced up to see Sugawara raise an eyebrow at you which made your cheeks flush red. You avoided his gaze and picked at your food.

As if liking the enemy wasn’t hard enough… now you were dating him and your team didn’t even know it yet.

It wasn’t even an hour into practice that morning while you were filling water bottles when you saw Kenma walking down the hallway towards you. Flashing him a smile, you greeted him. “Hey!”

However, to your surprise, Kenma didn’t say a word. Instead he continued to close the distance between you until his arms had snaked around you from behind, his chin resting on the top of your head as he held you close. You had frozen in place, melting at his touch. You could feel his heartbeat on your back, and it was racing.

“Ken…Kenma?”

He took a long, deep breath and sighed. “Sorry…” He released you from his hold, leaving you feeling cold without him. “I couldn’t wait to hold you again.”

You turned around to face him, mouth open to speak when he had already started running back to the gym. You sighed, leaning on the water fountain for support. You whispered to yourself in disbelief.

“I still can’t believe that shy boy is mine…”

The rest of the day was harder to get Kenma alone. Coach Nekomata was pushing him harder than usual to make up for the other day’s escape to the game store… and you were beginning to see the frustration on his face. The closest you got to spending time with him was when your fingers brushed while he was handing you his water bottle. Coach Ukai kept you plenty busy, too. You were starting to think he was getting suspicious and keeping you busy on purpose. After practice, your teammates took you hostage and made you play board games with them until it was time for bed.

You would just have to try again tomorrow.

~

** Day 6 **

Even though you fully planned on telling your teammates about your new relationship, you had to admit that it was fun playing “delinquent”. Sneaking off for quick hugs and the scandalous holding-of-hands while nobody was looking felt like sneaking around enemies in a video game. Every time you thought that the other players were catching on, they shocked you with their level of idiocrasy and baffled you with their blindness. And yet, you managed to get through the day without getting caught, and now the two of you had snuck around back after the matches were over and climbed the penalty hill where you sat side by side in the grass, watching the sun set below the horizon as it filled the sky with vibrant colors.

“You know, I heard someone say that when an artist dies, God lets them paint a sunset.” You whispered into the soft wind. “Whoever painted tonight’s sky was really good.”

“Mhmm…” Kenma agreed quietly, his hand content to be laced with yours. 

You were leaned up against him and your head was laying on his shoulder. Your free hand reached over and played with his hand that was wrapped with yours. “One week wasn’t enough, was it?” You muttered with a low voice. This was your last night together. Tomorrow would be ending around noon, and then it was time to go home. There was so much you wanted to do, so much time you wanted to spend with him. But you wouldn’t get the time.

“I could have an entire month with you and it still wouldn’t be enough. Not after all these years of being apart.” Kenma whispered.

You felt him stir beside you, making you raise your head to look. He was pulling his phone out of his pocket. You watched him curiously as he asked, “Can we take a picture?”

Your heart soared at the request. You realized at that moment that you hadn’t gotten a picture with him yet. “Of course!”

Kenma stood up, pulling you to your feet as the two of you turned around, sunset in the background softly illuminating your faces as he pulled out the camera app on his phone. “Okay, say ‘Nekoma’…”

You giggled, a wide smile appearing on your face. “Nekoma!”

You were watching the lens, not the screen, so when you heard the click at the same time as you felt soft lips touch your cheek, you felt your heart leap out of your chest. You whipped your head around, wide-eyed and staring up at Kenma. He had gentle eyes and a gentler smile.

“Di-did you just…”

You didn’t have time to finish your question, because he closed the gap between you and this time, his lips landed on yours. Your eyes fluttered shut and you melted into the delicateness of it. When you pulled away, he glanced away nervously. “I- I couldn’t let you leave without doing that… at least once…”

You squealed, making him look at you with wide eyes. You looked up at him with an even wider smile. “How about twice?”

Kenma chuckled, leaning in and capturing your lips with his again. This time, he was the one to pull away with a smile. “Twice is good.”

Your hands found his and the two of you snuggled under the sunset, red-faced and awkward but living your best life.

It was a moment you would never forget.

~

** Day 7: Final Day of Camp **

“Gyah!!” You slumped, defeated. “We lost… again.”

Coach Ukai sighed. “In the end it was a spectacular losing streak after all.”

“(Y/N)!!! (Y/N)!!!” Bokuto jumped from his position behind the net. “Hey Hey Hey!! Did you see my spike?!”

“Yes, Bokuto, it was wonderful!” You called out to him, a soft smile playing at your lips as the Karasuno team crowded around Ukai.

“I’m sorry!” Asahi bowed, speaking first. “I chickened out and hit a serve that was just asking them to attack us!”

“If you can figure that out on your own, you’re well off.” Ukai began. The team turned to him, listening intently. “In moments like that, how well you can stay offensive will determine whether or not you come out on top. Nobody wants to end the game on their own mistake.”

Kageyama turned to Hinata with slitted eyes. “He must be talking about you.”

“Shut up!”

“But nobody will blame you for hitting a serve that was meant to steal the win.”

Asahi nodded, determination coming back to his face. “Right!”

“One thing is for certain… your offense will work against the top teams in the country!”

Your eyes drifted across the gym to the Nekoma team as Coach Takeda stepped forward with a smile. 

“Right now, your serves and combinations can’t match the other teams’. That is to be expected because you started way after they did. But you shouldn’t stop there. You mustn’t think that this is the limit of your power. When you mix colors, they become muddled and dirty, right? But once you finish mixing, you get the color black, which won’t be overtaken by any other. Please make our team’s color black, which fits us crows.”

You knew that someday you would be facing against Nekoma on an official court. You knew your loyalty would lie with Karasuno. But you couldn’t help but feel a tug on your heart, hoping that Kenma could make it all the way once, too.

“Thank you very much!” Daichi bowed, a large smile on his face. The rest of the team followed, thanking the coaches for their support before doing their last penalty of the training camp. You proudly watched your boys do flying laps around the gym, and then some of them breaking off into groups to do some more practice before the barbeque.

It wasn’t too long before Kenma approached you, his hand discreetly sliding into yours as you observed. “Did you have fun?” You muttered, letting out a chuckle as Hinata and Kageyama started bantering.

He hummed positively in response. “There is one more thing I’d like to do before it’s over, though.”

“Oh?” You turned to the pudding-haired boy with a smile. “What would that be?”

Kenma hesitated for a moment, opening his mouth to answer but being cut off by Sugawara’s voice. “Yeah, the next time we come here will be after the spring preliminaries.”

“Oh yeah! Those are right after we get back, aren’t they?” Daichi replied after taking a long swig of water.

“I wonder if it will be cooler by then…” Asahi asked with a groan.

Kenma moved a little when he felt you tense at their words. “You okay?”

“Yeah! I’m fine.” You reassured. “It’s just hard… knowing if we play against you that I have to choose a side, and it can’t be yours.”

“I guess.” Kenma shrugged. “I don’t think it really matters as long as you keep your promise.”

Your eyebrows furrowed as you looked up at him. “Promise?”

His gaze softened as he blew air out of his nose in a silent laugh. “As long as you get to see me play at Nationals, I don’t care if you’re cheering for the other team.”

A smile played at your lips as your eyes sparkled up at him. “Kenma…”

“NEGATIVITY, _BEGONE_!” Your attention was quickly drawn away as you saw Sugawara karate-chop Asahi in the ribs, making him double over in pain, grabbing the area of impact. You let out a little squeal, giving Kenma’s hand a quick squeeze before you separated from him, running over to save Asahi from the physical abuse.

“SUGA STOP THAT RIGHT NOW!” You yelled. “Don’t hit little Asahi! He is precious and we must protect him!” You stated boldly, shielding barely half of the tall third year with your body as you put yourself between him and Sugawara.

“PPFT! You hear that? Asahi needs protecting!” Daichi snickered before bursting out in laughter.

“LITTLE?!!” Sugawara repeated, slapping his knee as he laughed. Asahi didn’t find it funny, instead drooping his head in defeat.

One thing led to another and the after-match practices wrapped up, the gyms got cleaned, the balls put away and before long you could start to smell meat in the air.

Hinata was helping you clean up when the smell hit you both at once, making you race to finish mopping so that you could join the rest of the teams outside.

The barbecue was amazing. There were vegetables, fruits, meats on the grill and sitting aside waiting to be thrown on the fire. Managers were helping serve and some of the boys were already huddled around a grill, nearly drooling with anticipation.

Instantly you saw Bokuto and raised a hand. “HEY HEY HEY!!” You imitated, making him turn his head 360 degrees and beam brightly at you.

“(Y/N)!!!” He beckoned for you and Hinata to join. “It’s all the meat you could ever want! Dig in!”

“BOKUTO-SAN!” Hinata yelled, balling his little fists. “In the actual game, we won’t lose!!”

“Oh yeah? Bring it on, then!” Bokuto stated while flexing his arm muscles before throwing his head back in laughter.

You sought out Kiyoko who was helping cut vegetables on a table nearby. “Do you need any help?”

“We got it. Go ahead and enjoy yourself.” She confirmed with a smile that did not go unnoticed by Tanaka and Nishinoya, who immediately threw themselves on the ground in a fit of tears.

“We saw Kiyoko smile!”

“Why can’t she smile like that for us???”

You found your place back next to Hinata just as Coach Ukai called attention to everyone huddled around the grills. “Thank you for all the hard work in this one-week training camp, folks! The empty stomach is what tasty food smiles at. Let your muscles repair to your heart’s content.”

In unison, everyone screamed as they reached for the nearest pair of chopsticks and a plate. “ITADAKIMASU!!!”

You threw yourself into a meat war with Bokuto, Hinata, and Kageyama. To say that they were surprised at how much you could eat was an understatement… you beat half the boys there without even trying. You nearly choked on your food from laughter as Bokuto went around stealing meat that was ready from other people who had put it on the grills. You overheard a few stories from Kuroo. You watched from the side as Tora, Nishinoya, and Tanaka tried to keep boys from talking to Kiyoko.

And finally, once you were full, you scanned the area for Kenma.

It took you longer to find him than it did to eat a Lev-sized pile of meat.

He was huddled against the building, sitting on the steps as he played on his phone. You had a plate of food in your hand as you approached him. “Are you done eating already?”

Kenma glanced up from his game at you as you sat down next to him. “I haven’t eaten yet. It’s too rowdy.”

“I figured you would say that.” In one swift motion you pulled Kenma’s phone from his hands and switched it with the plate. “Here, eat up.”

“I don’t mind waiting. You should eat if you’re hungry…” Kenma muttered as you shook your head.

“You misunderstand. I built that plate for you _knowing_ that you wouldn’t have eaten yet.” You smiled at him, a light blush rising to your cheeks as he looked down at the plate. “Besides, I ate like, a _ton_ already!”

Kenma looked baffled at the food on his plate. Suddenly his stomach grumbled. “You… remembered?”

You nodded, turning to his game and playing it. “Of course I did.” You had loaded the plate with all of his favorite things that you remember him mentioning over the years, and leaving out some of the things you remember him saying he hated. It was a plate he would have built for himself without flaw. 

“Thanks.”

You played on his game while he watched and ate his food. You even went back and got him seconds when he was done and was still too nervous to get any more for himself. 

When you sat back down with his second plate and his phone in your pocket to keep him from playing on it, a question crossed your mind. “Hey, can I ask you something?” You continued when he nodded. “What made you decide… you know… to ask me?”

Kenma refused to look at you as a light pink dusted across his cheeks. “It’s dumb.”

You nudged him playfully on the shoulder. “Oh come on! It can’t possibly be that dumb.” When he stayed silent, you rolled your eyes. “I promise I won’t laugh.”

Kenma’s eyes squinted as he glanced at you, seeing the smile on your face as proof that you probably would laugh, but he couldn’t possibly say no to you. “Bokuto.”

You weren’t sure that you had heard him right. “Pardon? Bokuto?”

Kenma’s face deepened in color, so you knew he was embarrassed. “When… you called him handsome. I got jealous.”

You bit your lip, trying not to laugh. You singled out the ace of Fukurodani in the crowd and pointed at him. “Him? That Bokuto? Made you _jealous_??”

The pouty look on his face made you snicker, doing your best to hold back laughter. He stabbed his food as he tried to be mad. “You said you wouldn’t laugh…”

“I’m not! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! It’s just too cute!” Your voice went quiet as you turned your attention to the players as they mingled amongst each other as if they would never be on opposing sides ever again. “Nobody is more handsome than you, Kenma.”

Kenma huffed. “Hmm, I think Akaashi is.”

You belted out a singular honk of a laugh. “Am I allowed to agree with you?”

“If you didn’t I’d be concerned for your eyesight.”

“Okay, there’s _one_ person more handsome!”

The two of you laughed, enjoying each other’s company and the sound of bickering, brawling boys as they ate their fill on the barbecue. 

The fun went by way too quickly, and before you knew it the teams were splitting up, packing their belongings, and getting ready to board their busses. Players were mingling one last time, exchanging phone numbers and making war declarations as they prepared for the spring preliminaries.

Ennoshita walked up to you, doing rounds on all the players. “Do you have everything you need? We’re about ready to leave.”

You nodded. “Yeah, let me just double check for my phone…” You had a bad habit of setting down your phone and forgetting it places. It was a wonder you hadn’t lost it somewhere already.

You smiled as you felt it in your natural breast pocket called a bra, but your eyebrows drew together as you felt something still in your shorts pocket, and it wasn’t your Walkman because you clearly remembered putting that at the top of your bag for the ride home. “What…”

Pulling the mystery object out of your pocket, you jumped a little realizing it was Kenma’s phone. You had forgotten to give it back to him after the barbecue. “Tell Takeda I’ll be right back!”

You started jogging towards the Nekoma bus, but saw Kenma already headed towards you, so you stayed put. His face lit up when he saw his phone in your hand. “I knew you must have had it!” He chuckled as you handed it over.

“Sorry about that! I’m just glad I realized it was still in my pocket before we left!” 

“It’s okay.”

“So…” You rubbed the back of your head. You felt like there were so many things you wanted to say, but with time ticking away and goodbyes not being your strong suit, you struggled to find the words. “I just wanted to say…”

You were glancing to the side as you spoke, so when Kenma closed the gap between you it took you by surprise. His thumb briefly caressed your cheek as he drew you in for a quick, tender kiss that left you absolutely breathless. You opened your eyes to see him staring at you with the most tender gaze you had ever seen as he muttered three words you weren’t expecting to hear. 

_“I love you.”_

Your breath caught in your throat. You bit your lip as you smiled, tears pricking at the corner of your eyes. “Ditto.”

Your romantic moment was broken by the wails of half your teammates, and the screams of the other half. Half of Nekoma was cheering, and Bokuto was screaming with joy over at the Fukurodani bus.

“HEY HEY HEY!!! I KNEW YOU COULD GET HIM!”

“Bokuto, quiet down.” Akaashi sighed.

“Damnit, Suga! I owe you $50…” Daichi cursed as Sugawara snickered proudly.

Nishinoya and Tanaka sobbed in each other’s arms. “We lost her! We were too late!”

Hinata cried. “You didn’t tell me?!”

“I’m not dead, guys!” You giggled as you wrapped your arms around Kenma one last time. For now. “See you later?”

“Of course. I’ll call you later.”

Kenma placed another kiss, this time on your forehead, before reluctantly letting you go and walking back to his teammates. You took a deep breath, holding back tears mixed with joy and sadness as you turned your back to him, a huge smile on your face as your team began bombarding you with questions as you boarded on the bus. Some of the questions you could answer, and some of them you couldn’t.

All you knew was that you couldn’t wait to see him again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I am so sorry that this took me forever to get to you! I went through a massive anxiety and depression spell that left me a complete mess, I was doing nothing but sleep off-schedule and try not to cry, and that included not really eating for a couple weeks. It’s hard to get into the happy mindset needed to write scenes like this when I get like that, so I apologize once again for the delay, BUT it turned out a lot longer than I anticipated so I hope that makes up for it <3 I am currently reading the manga too so I can write the fourth chapter of this wonderful fic! And of course for chapter 5, I really liked having it from the love interest’s POV so I am going to make that a trend for each story! I can’t WAIT to write Kenma’s POV from all this!!!
> 
> Also can I just say that I’m absolutely living for the relationship between reader and Bokuto??? He’s probably my favorite character. Season 4 did him JUSTICE <3
> 
> Just a heads up - I’ll be updating the story layout when I get to the end of this character arc so that there is a clear Happy Ending and Tragic Ending chapter for all the story lines. That means each story will have 5 parts and two alternate endings. That way it is easier to navigate for those of you who prefer to read the story as a whole vs those who just want to read a story about their favorite character <3 So those who liked the Saiki story, get ready for a revamped ending!
> 
> Speaking of characters, I’m really torn on who to write about next! I’ve got some ideas for Food Wars, Naruto, Kuroko’s Basketball (Kuroko only), and Yuri on Ice (Plisetsky only). If you would like to let me know in the comments which of those you would like to see next, that would be awesome! Until then, stay safe, and happy reading!
> 
> Until Next Time: The Fated Battle at the Trash Heap!


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